Obsessed with the Light
by LittleBloodyJ
Summary: To good there is bad. There must always be an opposite for a balance to be found- but unluckily, opposites react. When darkness is obsessed with light, what cost must be paid to keep the balance?
1. Chapter 1

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**Title: **Obsessed with the Light**  
Chapter: **1 of 12**  
Summary: **To good there is bad. There must always be an opposite for a balance to be found- but unluckily, opposites react. When darkness is obsessed with light, what cost must be paid to keep the balance?  
**Pairing(s):** Morgan/Reid (later on), The Joker/Reid (rather one sided), Bruce Wayne/Emily Prentiss  
**Rating: **Strong T  
**Warnings:** Violence, slash, swearing and my favourite, ANGST.  
**Spoilers/Time Setting:** Based after season three of Criminal Minds and after The Dark Knight.  
**Disclaimer: **I WISH I could claim to own either _Criminal Minds_ or _The Dark Knight_ but I can't. I only own part of this story.  
**A/N: H**ey! Okay, my first fanfiction for both _Criminal Minds_ and _The Dark Knight._ This story is based and dedicated to the wonderful **filmgurl2006** and the video made by the said person called 'Joker X Reid: Kiss my eyes', the link to which is on my channel. That video is the reason this story was born and **filmgurl2006** is the reason you're reading this!  
I hope I didn't disappoint... :) And I hope EVERYONE likes this!

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_"Some men aren't looking for anything logical, like money. They can't be brought, bullied, reasoned or negotiated with."  
_

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The room was crowded, bright lights and bright outfits lined every corner.

The men all wore the same sort of expensive suits which would averagely cost more than the average house, which considering the area, was incredibly high. They all wore golden watches and had beautiful women attached to their arms.

The women all had their hair done perfectly so there wasn't a single lock where it did not belong, their jewellery glittered and sent small rainbows across the room. The dresses were also a rainbow of colours. Some were long and green, reaching down to the floor and covering the floor behind the designer heels, some were red and simply hovered above the ground and were held up by the tightness around the bones which took over where the cleavage should have been. A few dresses were small and black. Every dress seemed to yell out something about the model wife wearing it.

Everyone looked perfect in the image of the grand fundraiser- every action delicate and fake as they reached to greet one another. The large oak doors remained open so that the new guests cold enter and a small boy with gelled black hair stood tapping his little black shoes to the jazz music from the live band. His smile was the perfect image of his mother's fake smile as she tugged the sleeves of her dress lower so that nobody would see what her perfect husband had done when his drunk rage had taken away all control.

Every little action told a story.

To the difference of all the other men in the room there were two in the right side of the room (if viewing from where the band was placed opposite from the large brown doors) who seemed slightly out of place in the high class surroundings.

The men differed in height and practically everything else.

The more confident man's skin was darker than anyone else's and his eyes were attached to another model wife who twirled past him in a delicate midnight blue dress whose her light blonde hair was pulled into a high ponytail, her hand was placed on her friend's small arm. The other girl wore a long green dress and her red hair floated like fire around her pale features as she shook her head glancing at the two men behind her. Her eyes glittered like emeralds before she looked away again. The man grinned as he grabbed a drink from the table behind him and downed it with next to no effort.

He held himself in a sure manner and it was easy to tell he clearly knew who he was. The man, or to many of the people there still a boy, next to him was a completely different story.

He was pale, his brown hair messy and his eyes kept shifting from one shape to another. His suit was large on his slender figure and he wore completely black. His drink remained untouched on the table he was leaning against like a lifeline. He looked like a fish out of water as the girl with red hair waved over at him as her blonde friend winked at his friend.

He shifted unhappily under her curious stare and tried to smile. His eyes remained glazed with a sadness still fresh in his soul.

"Reid, come on." The smaller man sighed. "She's checking you out."  
The taller boy/man shook his head with a forced laugh. "No, _Morgan_, she's trying to get your attention by flirting with your friend." The smile on his young face was forced as he spoke the words. He was not sad about the girl (he wasn't even disappointed) and it was clear this course of action was not new to him. He was clearly the type of person who was never chosen and when he was he never truly believed it.  
Morgan's eyes rolled dramatically. "Reid, pretty boy, you need to loosen up. Have some fun." There was a moment their eyes met and the playfulness of his words lost their lightness. "Surely you deserve one, just one, night off. Would it kill you to play along? Please?"

Reid moved his gaze away like a guilty child. "Fine- but this is a one off. When is Hotch arriving?" His sudden change of subject was obviously noticed as Morgan placed his suddenly empty glass onto the table. His shoulders seemed to sink a little. He had been hoping that the young man next to him would be able to forget his worries for a while but his hopes were crushed. When did Reid ever give himself a break?

"He's not." Morgan stepped away from the table. "We're here because we were the only two people with nothing to do." His smile returned as he playfully ruffled Reid's brown locks. Reid pulled away from the contact quickly but the first, honest smirk yet reached his delicate face. He suddenly looked younger. "At least have one dance with her. Stop worrying about the case."

Reid bit his lip, his teeth gently pulling at the pink flesh. The case rolled into his mind and the images of the bodies flashed across his mind with the description of the mad man they were looking for. He was worst than a ghost and he always shifted into the mist. Reid shivered as the image of the man's dark eyes filled his mind. They had glittered with the joy of his latest kill- they had glittered with the hunger (the need) to kill more - even in the recording of him walking away Reid had been able to tell that the man was never going to stop. Nothing but death would stop him.

The killer called himself 'The _Joker_' like the card. The name itself showed his illusions of grandeur and his belief that everything he did was a game. Reid could remember with ease the significance of The Joker in games. The Joker was the shape shifter of the game – with him on your side you won and with him against you the game was lost. He was the key to winning because he could be whoever he wanted to be. Once he was in the game everything was decided.

Reid had never been fond of clowns and even looking at the picture of the man the darkness of his soul only made his appearance that much more terrifying. The scars which formed a smile seemed only fitting as the image formed in his memory. The man they were hunting was insane and they had no idea where to look. He was unpredictable.

There was no longer anyone on their side- Reid knew that even with Jim Gordon fighting on their side most of the police in that area were on the side of whoever had money. They were fighting the man who had the city in the palm of his hand within a matter of days. And this man didn't care. The same had happened in Gotham City were everything had fallen apart. The Joker had moved areas and the terror grew to an entire new level. There was no Harvey Dent to protect the people- he was gone. Jim Gordon was the only one who had the courage to chase after the Joker.

The redhead grinned at him before walking towards the exit, closely followed by her friend. Reid tried not to look as relieved as he felt when Morgan groaned in disappointment and commented on the loss. He didn't have the energy to deal with girls trying to make Morgan jealous.

His mind paused for a second to be relieved and he finally smiled at Morgan's pout. Maybe he could take _one_ night off... would it hurt? He glanced around the room once more to check for lurking monsters. Apart from pure white floors which glittered from the lights, his eyes were drawn to the wall made of the large windows. Out of them he could see the far lights of the city. A thousand different statistics sprung to mind but he resisted the urge to say any of them.

They all needed a break from The Joker. They had been called in after the Joker had appeared in the city and had started his killings. The people were petrified, knowing the Joker didn't really care who he killed as long as it helped him make a point and since Batman's apparent betrayal... They had even called the FBI in a desperate attempt to end the sadistic killings. Reid had been called out with the team – the team which seemed to be directly linked to his family.

The team, in many senses, was his family and he knew that they were there for him. They hadn't abandoned him like everyone else and he was grateful for that small mercy. He wasn't sure he would be able to cope with much more tragedy in his life.

The case was taking a toll- after all, over half of the police they had to work with was being paid by the wrong people. They couldn't really trust anyone. Commissioner Gordon had told them as much when they had first arrived.

"Reid... Kid, are you listening?" Morgan grinned as he punched his friend's skinny arm. They both knew how forced the smile was- they both knew how desperate Morgan was to get Reid's mind off the bad. The kid had once been like a little brother, and was steadily becoming more, to Morgan and he could see how their job was slowly draining the life from his hazel eyes. He wouldn't... He couldn't cope with seeing Reid become another zombie who lived for the job and no longer felt anything.

Reid deserved better.

"Nope." Reid snapped his gaze back to Morgan. "What were you saying?"  
"I was saying that you need to lighten up." Morgan grinned again and Reid silently thanked God that Morgan was his friend. Who knew how things would be without his big brother like friend there. "Live a little." Reid allowed his eyebrows to pop up and he smiled his first truly honest smile since they got the case.

The case had taken its toll on everyone but Morgan could see Reid was taking it the worst. They could all see it- that was why Hotch had chosen them to have a night off. None of them liked seeing Reid in the state the case got him into. Seeing the baby of the team living on coffee in the hope of finding a single _clue_ was heartbreaking- seeing his face after every new murder was even worse.

The redhead pressed the elevator button as her blonde friend kept her grip around her friend's arm and glanced back at the two men. She was grinning like a Cheshire cat.

Neither Morgan nor Reid noticed how her eyes sparkled as the number above the elevator got that little bit closer. One more floor and the elevator would arrive to its destination.

Only Reid noticed how the smile was gone from the redhead's face and worry replaced it.

Both women glanced at the clock in the top left corner of the room and only the blonde looked happy about the time. She was practically bouncing with excitement.

The room continued to be filled with the chatter of people and the sound of the quick music.

Reid scanned the room for the host of the evening, a man called whose name he kept forgetting. No matter how hard he looked he couldn't find the man. He shivered as he remembered stories of the last fundraising event when the Joker was in the area but quickly collected himself. It was their night off. He wanted to stop thinking about the events of the past few weeks for a second.

Was asking for a break too much?  
As the elevator let out a small sound, fate answered that question. Yes. Apparently he was asking too much.

**...CM.**

It took Reid less than a second to realise what was happening as a man was shoved out of the elevator so hard he landed on the floor.

Ten armed men stepped out of the elevator but only one caught Reid's eye. In the middle a man stood in a crisp purple suit, white paint covering his face and red outlined his lips and scars. His hair moved with every movement and Reid had to notice it was about the same length as his own.

"Anyone else have a feeling of déjà vu?" The mocking tone laced the poisoned words as the man they had been hunting stepped out of the lift and onto the crystal white floor. A smirk pulled at his elongated lips as his thugs pointed their weapons at the people around them.

The Joker fired a single bullet at the ceiling and Reid watched the guests quickly step back. There were gasps from those the closest to him and the small child who had been at the door ran to his mother.

The music stopped.

"You've got to be kidding me..." Morgan whispered the words with all the strength they would have contained if he had yelled them. He glared at the thug who pointed his weapon directly at them and the pregnant woman who sat near them. If they moved lived would be lost. They all knew it.

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen!" The Joker's tone was light, as if he were telling them the weather for the next week. His eyes glittered with the passion of the killing he was thinking about. Reid glanced at Morgan yet his gaze was not returned.

Both men were thinking the exact same question.

What were they meant to do?

"We were..." Two thugs threw a table across the room before shoving the man Reid had been watching earlier onto the floor. The Joker kept on talking as he grabbed a random piece of food and took a bite of it, amusement written on his painted features. "...nowhere near the area and thought we'd drop by and say hello." He spun around and headed towards the woman and her son. "_Hello._" He pulled at the sound of the vowels as if he were teaching a slow student.

The people near him seemed to sink back and the Joker continued chewing whatever piece of food he had bitten.

The Joker moved his weapon swiftly, so that it touched the edge of a young woman's face. He grabbed her drink from her slim fingers and Reid watched much of the gold liquid fall to the ground before the Joker swallowed what remained of it.

The Joker dropped the glass to the ground and stepped on it so that it shattered into thousands of pieces.

"Anyone? Nobody is going to say hello?" He kept his pace fast as he passed different people, not really taking in how they flinched away from him. He kept saying the words. "Nobody? It's not that hard: _Hel _–_ lo_. I'll settle for a little one." The Joker's gaze fell on the small boy. "What's your name?"

Reid could practically feel his heart stop as the small lad looked up with large brown eyes. The Joker wouldn't hesitate in killing the boy, they all knew it. His heart broke as the boy whimpered a reply.

"M-M-Math-Mathew..." His voice shook as The Joker knelt before him, handing his gun to one of the thugs and pulling out a small, silver blade from his pocket.  
"M-M-Math-Mathew?" The Joker mocked the boy's small voice as he nodded to one of the masked thugs. The man didn't even hesitate before grabbing the boy and dragging him away from his mother. The Joker caught him when he was shoved forwards and in a movement he swung around and stood the boy on the table behind him so he could stand and look into the boy's scared eyes.

At the exact same time both Reid and Morgan were desperately trying to work out what to do next.

"You know..." The Joker allowed a dramatic pause as he tilted his head, his eyes never leaving the shaking boy who was suddenly dripping. The once white tablecloth was suddenly stained yellow. "You remind me of a small me." He tapped the side of the boy's face. "You just need a few _decorations_." He tapped the other side of the boy's face and moved the angle of the knife. The boy was completely frozen.

Nobody moved, even the boy's mother was looking away.

Reid swallowed as a new voice filled the silence. "Let him go. He's just a child!" He could feel all gazes move towards him just as he realised it was him who had stepped out of the crowd. He stared as the Joker's head snapped to face him. Dark eyes looked into his own. He was proud of himself when he didn't look away but he could hear Morgan whisper his name.

They both knew Morgan would have done the exact same if a gun wasn't pointed to his temple.

But, as usual, it was Reid who caught the killer's eye.

The Joker loosened his grip as one of his little helpers grabbed the petrified child and returned him to his family. Reid didn't even get the chance to feel glad for the child's momentary safety before the Joker headed towards him. Their gazes remained locked.

"Well, hello, beautiful." The Joker moved two free locks of hair off his face and his pink tongue licked his painted lips. The Joker kept on heading towards him and in his peripheral vision Reid could see most people step back- Morgan was shoved into a nearby seat. Reid was suddenly standing less than two metres away from the man he had been looking for. He was suddenly in the very middle of the room and like a trapped hare he could feel his heart triple in speed.

Ironically his first thought was that he was never going to get a night off.  
The second thought was him scolding himself.

The knife was pointed towards him as easily as a parent would point a finger at a naughty child. "You must be one of these new FBI agents... You look a bit young. Mmm." Reid shivered under the unnameable gaze the Joker was giving him. "And you are _beautiful_." Reid wrapped his arms around himself as he tried to keep the eye contact.

He felt like a prey being circled by a predator as the Joker walked around him, eyes scanning his entire shape.  
He felt like a field mouse being surrounded by a cobra and its long body. There was no way to move away as the Joker entered his personal space.

"Get away from him!" Morgan barely got the words out before the end of the gun was smashed into the side of his head, knocking him to the ground.

Reid's eyes widened as his friend was shoved to the ground yet as he moved towards him, the Joker's hand grabbed his shoulder and kept him still.

"You look rather scared." The Joker stopped his little walk directly in front of Reid, keeping him trapped with his back to where Morgan lay on the ground. "Is it the scars?" The Joker's face moved closer to his own and Reid could feel himself move a little further away. "Do you want to know how I got them?" There was a pause where Reid dared to look up into The Joker's hungry gaze.

That was his first mistake.

"Come here." The Joker's slender fingers grabbed the back of his head (they tangled with his messy hair almost perfectly) and Reid felt himself being pulled forwards as The Joker held the knife against his flesh. He gave a weak attempt to get free and the Joker's grip only got tighter. "Hey." The hand which held the small knife also gripped the sides of his face, pulling it to the position he wanted. "Look at me." Reid's eyes widened as he realised how little distance there was between him and the Joker. Their faces were centimetres apart.

"I had this partner- he was just as beautiful as you." The grip got tighter. "Who told me I worried too much." Reid could do nothing but look into the Joker's stony face. "Who told me I ought to _smile_ a bit more." Reid's heart tripled in speed and he could feel his lungs tighten. "Who gambled and got into _deeeeeep_ trouble with sharks." Reid tried to pull away another time and the grip in his hair caused him to be pulled even closer. "Hey." Both hands were moved so that they were on the side of his pale face.

"One day they carved him up like a pumpkin. We didn't have the money for surgeries and he just couldn't take it." They made eye contact yet again. "I just wanted to see him smile again. Have you ever felt that way?" Reid's mind slipped to his mother when he was a child. Yes, he had. "I just wanted him to know I didn't care about the scars." Reid gave a stronger attempt to pull away as the Joker stopped being as calm as he had been. He was losing control. A hurricane without control would cause them to lose all chances of stopping him. "So... I stick a razor in my mouth and do _this_ to myself." Reid's eyes dropped to the floor. "And you know what? He couldn't stand the sight of me. He left." Their faces were closer than ever. "Now I see the funny side... Now I'm always _smiling_." The Joker loosened his grip and Reid took his chance. He hit him.

The Joker barely took a small step back, a manic laugh leaving his lips. "A little fight in you. I _like_ that." He paused for a tiny second. "When have I said that before?"

Reid scanned the room desperately, barely noticing the whisper from Morgan's still body. "Duck." Reid quickly did as he was told and Morgan quickly kicked one of the armed men into the Joker, causing him to stumble back.

Reid lost track of what happened next- one second Morgan was on the floor and the next he and the Joker were having a full blown fight. Anyone would have missed it, but Reid's astute mind caught it. The edge of the Joker's shoe glittered with the hidden blade. One kick and Morgan would be hurt- maybe even killed.

"Morgan!" Reid yelled the name quickly as one of the thugs grabbed Morgan's arms, causing him to hesitate with his next movement. Luckily for Morgan, the Joker twisted himself to an angle before he quickly pulled Reid closer and placed an arm around Reid's slender neck and Reid's own gun was pointed to his head.

Both Morgan and the thugs froze.  
Reid silently pleaded Morgan not to move.

Any movement might get them both killed.

**...CM.**

Glass shattered from the bullet running through it and The Joker only had to spin to have Reid almost dangling out of the window. A step to the right and Reid would be out of the window yet the Joker seemed to hold him close.

Panic covered Morgan's face. "Let him go."  
The Joker laughed, his lips close to Reid's ear and his hot breath causing a shiver to run down the young man's neck and back. He could feel bile rise up the back of his throat at the contact and how easily The Joker could shift his weight and allow him to fall to his death.

The Joker was winning the game and like the card, they had nothing that matched.

The Joker's voice was surprisingly gentle in Reid's ear. "Hello beautiful." Reid swallowed as the grip around his neck got tighter. "Scared yet?" The Joker stepped back and Reid was pulled with him, his wide eyes still looking into Morgan's suddenly distant stare.  
"Why are you doing this?" Reid asked the question without thinking, yet the small whisper reached the Joker and caused his smile to grow.  
"Because I can, _beautiful_." The Joker kept his face close to Reid's. "My turn to ask a question. Are you afraid that I'll let you fall?"

Reid paused. Was he afraid of the Joker allowing him to fall? No. He wasn't afraid of that- he was afraid of the man standing behind him and what that man was capable of doing to countless innocent people. He was afraid of what effect him falling would have on Morgan... Of all the things he was afraid of, falling really wasn't one of them.

"No. I'm not afraid of falling." Reid moved his head further away so his eyes could look into the Joker's. They both knew he was telling the truth. He wasn't claiming to not be afraid, he was simply stating that it was not the fear of the fall which was scaring him.

Both men hesitated.

The Joker suddenly looked completely serious. His eyes were watching Reid far closer than ever before. There was a fascination there that should have made Reid feel uncomfortable – but instead Reid looked back at him with as much bravery as he could muster and his genius mind was left trying to name the emotions running through him.

Each beat of their hearts signified another lost second.

If a person were to blink they would have missed how The Joker's lips parted and murmured small words that only reached Reid's ears. If a person were to blink they would have missed how Reid's eyes widened before The Joker shoved him forwards so he smashed into Morgan, both of them falling to the ground almost instantly. If a Person were to blink they would have missed how The Joker slipped something into the young man's pocket as he pushed him forwards.

The Joker smiled a dark smile before walking over to where the young boy called Mathew stood and he picked the boy up without a second thought. The gun was suddenly on the side of the boy's head. "Anyone follows me, I shoot little Mathew." The boy squirmed, looking at his mother and step-father desperately begging them for help. Neither moved and the betrayal glittered in even his young eyes.

The Joker stepped back into the elevator which had remained open thanks to one of the thugs. Nobody else moved and Reid's head moved to look up at man as the elevator shut with the blonde, the redhead, The Joker, a thug and Mathew in it.

The Joker grinned as the doors shut and the armed men paused.

The sound of police sirens filled the air but Reid knew the Joker was already gone, shifted into the background with the very people who were hunting him.

Morgan pushed himself into a sitting position and Reid did the same, trying to ignore how his hands were shaking. His entire body shook with the fear and adrenaline which were late kicking in.

"What did he say to you?" Morgan asked the question as the FBI and police rushed in, seconds too late to catch the maniac who had just slipped away with a small smirk.

Reid blinked, broken out of his trance. He ignored the urge to see what had been placed in his pocket.

"Reid, pretty boy, what did he say to you?" Morgan finally caught Reid's gaze, only regretting it when he saw the emotions carved into his eyes like a scar he'd never get rid of. Even with Tobias, Reid had never looked so scared or lost.

"He said he'd see me soon."

It's a funny thing how fate works, giving you what you want in a way you don't want it. She's mocking in that way – playing games like a naughty child. Reid had wanted to catch The Joker but The Joker had caught him.

The darkness had met the light- the two opposites had met. The blood, murder and cruelty of The Joker had met the gentleness, the love and the innocence of Reid. Two complete opposites had met in the very middle, in an accidental movement in a long card game. Their meeting the key to one side winning and the key to the death of one of the people we have seen.

Them meeting was the key to the flames and sorrow everything was to end with.

Why? Because even the most opposites react with each other- bad with good and violence with innocence. There is no escaping that one fact and the moment they had met the crash course to the end had begun and the obsession of the darkness with the light had started.

The darkness was already slowly surrounding the light as both men wondered what was going to come next. The fragile balance had been lost and everyone was shaken. Both men knew that darkness could replace good and violence could eradicate innocence. It always worked- even the perfect Harvey Dent had been broken by The Joker's clever games. The Joker knew that this new light could also become a darkness to match his own darkness.

For such darkness to possess such light there were only two options: the first was to break and the second was to corrupt. The Joker planned to do both as he slipped much like golden sand between the police's fingers.

The promise of their future meeting was the only thing that rung in Reid's mind and in The Joker's twisted mind Reid's lack of concern for his own life was played again and again like an echo. Neither knew what to make of the other.

As The Joker took control of the black car and began driving away, unnoticed by the police, Spencer Reid pulled a card out of his pocket- on it was a picture of a small, dancing joker. Yet its significance was only half noticed by the young genius.

Because the card was not just a symbol. It was a promise in itself. It was a promise that they would meet again and when they did the game they had been playing would be rejuvenated as fresher minds took control of the movements and new cards were given out, the card of the joker hidden in one of the player's sleeves to be used when it was time.

The game was truly started as Spencer Reid looked down at the small dancing clown and the Joker's promise playfully repeated in his mind. They were going to meet again, they both knew that much.

But, neither of them truly realised how every time they met the light and darkness was going to react a little more to its opposite as one side would try to control the other in a game dependant on the manipulation of the other. It would be a game not only based on what cards they were given but it was also the ultimate battle of their minds.

The boy genius, defender of the light or the King of the shadows and the lord of blood and pain.

There could only be one winner and even as the game began its ending was clear. The game was the path they were on and the last card was a flame, eating hungrily at the flesh of one of them. Whose flesh the flames were to eat was not yet decided but there was only one ending.

Only one of them could be alive when the other perished. That was the only unspoken rule of the game Reid unknowingly got himself caught in when he stepped forwards with his light.

The balance was momentarily off and the only way to reinstall it was a sacrifice from one of the sides. The two extremes had met and one was going to be beaten by the other.

The ending was not yet completely decided but the course was and soon they were going to meet again.

They were going to meet again far sooner than anyone realised.

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_"...Some men, just want to watch the world burn."_

_

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_So? Please review and tell is it was good or not... Actally, please don't tell me if it wasn't. :D Please, please don't flame!  
This young girl tried SO hard. *whimpers* Please just leave a few, kind words! Sorry about any errors, I don't have a beta!

Also, **filmgurl2006**, I really hope I didn't dissapoint!

**Love,  
J.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Title: **Obsessed with the Light**  
Chapter: **2 of 12**  
Summary: **To good there is bad. There must always be an opposite for a balance to be found- but unluckily, opposites react. When darkness is obsessed with light, what cost must be paid to keep the balance?  
**Pairing(s):** Morgan/Reid (later on), The Joker/Reid (rather one sided if you don't squint), Bruce Wayne/Emily Prentiss  
**Rating: **Strong T  
**Warnings:** Violence, slash, minor character death, gore, swearing and my favourite, ANGST.  
**Spoilers/Time Setting:** Based after season three of Criminal Minds and after The Dark Knight. (There might be more Criminal Minds spoilers later on...)  
**Disclaimer: **I WISH I could claim to own either Criminal Minds or The Dark Knight but I can't. I only own part of this story.  
**A/N: H**ey! Okay, my first fanfiction for both Criminal Minds and The Dark Knight. This story is based and dedicated to the wonderful **filmgurl2006** and the video made by the said person called 'Joker X Reid: Kiss my eyes', the link to which is on my channel. That video is the reason this story was born and **filmgurl2006** is the reason you're reading this!  
I hope I didn't disappoint... :) And I hope EVERYONE likes this!

**A/N_2: **Thank you to everyone who reviewed, the replies are at the end of this chapter because FF wouldn't let me reply. :) I hope this chapter is okay- it's more of a step-in chapter so the rest of the story works.

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"_You squeezed them, you hammered them, to the point of desperation. And in their desperation they turned to a man they didn't fully understand."_

_

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_

It was three days after the fundraiser and Spencer Reid had been completely unable to sleep, finding his dreams filled with the list of wounds and cruelties The Joker had inflicted onto his victims and the images of the bodies floated with the words. It was far worse than it had ever been before.

The first night, the night he had returned to his home after the fundraiser, had been the very worst night sleep of his life so far (little did the young man know that the worse was still to come). What he had gotten home after nearly an hour's drive, his heart was still racing and his hands were still shaking far worse than any leaf any human has ever seen. It took nearly six attempts for him to finally get his key into the lock so he could open the door. He had never been so glad that a crime scene was so close to his home before (later on he'd regret being glad about that).

He had stumbled into his flat, barely closing the door behind him before allowing his left hand to move up to his neck where he could already feel a cruel bruise begin to form. His eyes snapped shut as the memory of the feeling of The Joker's iron grip around his neck flashed through him like the loudest and brightest lightening. He swallowed gently, ignoring the pain of doing such an action and he moved to his bathroom, begging his hands to stay still long enough for him to turn the cold water tap on- they did no such thing but he still succeeded in entering the bathroom and turning the water on before realising he had not turned a single light on. He had no intention of looking in the mirror as he splashed the freezing water onto his face. He knew how much of a mess he must look and he didn't want to see himself and be able to link any of the words he used in his job to himself.

Instead he splashed the water on his face and onto his neck, shivering at the mix of the cold night air and the cold water. The moment the shaking paused he moved through to his bedroom, only pausing to grab a pair of pyjamas as he headed to the corner of his room. He shut the window as a reflex and like every night he checked the window was locked. Seeing that he worked as a profiler for the FBI it was only natural that he would always check... but that first night had been the first night in a very long time that it was the first action he did when he placed his pyjamas onto the stray chair in the corner of his room. Next he quickly got changed, allowing his black clothes to remain on the floor in a messy heap for him to worry about in the morning. For that moment all he wanted was to crawl into his bed and forget about the day and the look in The Joker's eyes which continued to haunt him.

As he moved his blankets so that he could enter the cold bed, he could not help but wonder why, of all the people he had met, The Joker had such an effect on him. He had met many people who had been closer than killing him than The Joker had been... No... That was a lie.

The UnSubs he had met had never been as close and as capable to kill him as The Joker had been. If they had been then he would be dead. If The Joker had wanted to kill him then he would be dead. The Joker had never hesitated with a kill before, never mind spare a life without gaining something. What was he gaining when he let Reid live?

The moment he lay down on the blankets he realised how exhausted he truly was. When was the last time he had been able to sleep more than two hours?

It had to be before JJ had handed out the files which contained the information about the case he was now chained to (both emotionally and mentally). But... even then he hadn't been sleeping well because of the feeling he kept getting- even before the case, his dreams had been full of fire and the feeling he could not get rid of.

Even before the case, he kept getting the feeling that something big and bad was going to happen.

The first night back in his own bed was not a restful sleep, instead when Reid awoke he was at one with the knot of blankets around him, sweat painted his features and his breathing was quick. He slowly moved to stand up, his feet gently touching the cold wood of the floor and his fingers quickly moving his wet locks off his face.

He knew straight away he would not be able to sleep that night.  
That was not the first night that Spencer Reid, FBI agent, profiler, twenty-six year old genius dreamt of the mutilated victims the Joker had left behind him like a trail of breadcrumbs. He only left behind what he wanted to be found and so the only things they were able to find were what he had planned for them to find.  
It was the first night that Spencer Reid dreamt of himself in the middle of flames, looking desperately for the other members of his team without getting himself killed. He dreamt of The Joker's silky voice as he told him one must die and the choice was his.

His dream ended with him being consumed by the flames to save the team he loved so dearly and The Joker's laugh rang in his ears even when he awoke.

They were playing his game and there was no way around it- Reid had already knew that if they were to catch the madman there was no avoiding that they needed to play along until he did something they could catch him out on.

He hoped the chance would come sooner rather than later (he _really_ should have been more careful what he wished for).

Reid stumbled into his bathroom, far more awake than he'd been before and the hint of shaking still in slim hands. His fingers trembled as he turned the bathroom light on and looked into the mirror- he flinched as he looked at himself. He had dark lines under his eyes and he had lost an awful amount of weight in the last few weeks... He'd been skinny before so after losing as much weight as he had, he looked like a textbook image of anorexia. His hair was a tangled mess even after he had run his fingers through it and his lips were dry and cracked.

His shower sprayed out cold water as he slowly twisted the handle. He watched the water hit the floor in almost a slow-motion movement. He slowly adjusted the angle of the showerhead and stripped of his dark blue pyjamas. He entered the shower with no attention, only shutting his eyes when the cold water fully hit him.

He silently swore at himself- if he wasn't such a coward and had at least tried to fight The Joker then the little boy, _Mathew_, might be safe. If he had stood up and shown himself as not afraid he might have been able to protect the small boy from the madman. But he hadn't... he had stood by as the boy was carried away by a man who wouldn't think twice about killing him.

Reid took in a deep breath as his moved his face to an angle where the full force of the water would his forehead. His fingers of his left hand remained pressed against the cold tiles which covered the wall he was leaning on.

He was weak... weaker than his father had ever been.  
He had allowed his life to be more important than an innocent child's life and he knew if the boy could not be saved he would forever blame himself.  
It _was_ his fault, after all. If he had just acted the little boy might be safe at home, tucked into his bed with the light next to his bed still on so he wouldn't get scared of the monsters in the dark.

The little boy should have been safe at home but instead he was at the mercy of the sickest, most terrifying man Reid had ever had the misfortune to run into and it was Reid's fault.

So, to say Reid felt guilty would have been the understatement of the year.

Luckily for him, nobody would ever know about the diamond tears which ran uncontrolled down his face and mixed with the water which was being sprayed down onto his flesh and hair. Nobody apart from him would know how he had to press a hand against his lips to stop a sob from escaping.

He'd messed up.  
He had messed up and there was nothing he could do about it apart from wait.

With another sob more salty tears rolled down his face. He moved his hands into his hair in an action which seemed to becoming compulsive. He could still feel the lingering grip in his hair and the grip around his neck.

No matter he how hard he was going to scrub, the feeling would be there for a long time- and he was clever enough to know that but he still tried to get rid of the feeling of somebody else being in control of his fate.

Even though he knew it wasn't going anywhere, he still tried to get rid of the feeling which brought up the memories long left forgotten in a corner of his mind. He bit his lip gently as his breathing got quicker.

The water kept on hitting him, unrelenting in its attempts to hide his tears.

Silently, Spencer Reid begged for a chance to prove he _could_ do better and once again there was no answer to his calls. Once again, he should have been more careful what he wished for.

But at that moment, as his eyes shut and he tried to only focus on the water, he had no idea for the horrors the future was eagerly holding for him. Instead, all he knew was that the future was not holding anything good for him.

As he embraced the cold from the water, fate was tossing a biased coin to see how everything was going to end- to see if the shadows or the light was stronger. But, he didn't know anything apart from the fact he wanted that little boy with black hair and large eyes returned to his family. Until the moment he did so, he wouldn't be able to sleep.

He promised himself that much. He would not rest until the moment that he made up for letting Mathew down.

That much was true. He wasn't going to rest till the day Mathew got back home to his family and that day would be the day of reckoning for everyone who was already working on the case- and the familiar faces still in Spencer's future who were to be dragged back. Because when everything was to end, in a not so far away future, it was going to end with an explosion which would rip everyone's worlds apart in one way or another. For some, the destruction would be more than it was for others.

For some, the wounds from the end would never truly be healed because when the balance was lost between darkness and light it automatically needed to be fixed. To fix it, there had to be a price.

But, as Reid tried to stop the tears, he had no idea of what was coming next.

**..DK**

It was exactly two am when Reid's phone rang, snapping him out of his daze. It had been four hours since he met the Joker.

"Reid." He shifted from his position on the sofa, placing his book down next to him, already finished.  
Morgan's voice sounded sad on the other end of the phone. "Hey, pretty boy."  
"Morgan?" Reid triple checked the time. "Are you okay? Has something happened with the case?"  
The laugh on the other end was unmistakable. "I'm fine. I couldn't sleep."  
"Oh..." Reid moved so he was no longer lying on the sofa but sitting. "Same." He looked down at himself. He was wearing baggy black trousers and a large black turtleneck jumper. He still hadn't decided what he was going to wear at work- did he own anything appropriated for work which covered his neck? He hoped so. He _really_ hoped so.  
"Are you okay pretty boy? You don't sound okay." Reid wanted to laugh at Morgan's concern. Neither of them was 'fine'.  
"I just..." What could he say? "I don't know, Morgan. I should have done _something_ to stop The Joker from taking Mathew. I don't know... Maybe if I had fallen out of the window I could have dragged him with me or something..." The moment the words left his lips he regretted them. They made him sound suicidal.

He wasn't suicidal... Was he?  
No. Of course not. He just wished he had done something.

There was a sigh from the other side of the phone. "We'll talk about this in a minute. Just open your door."  
Reid carefully balanced the phone between his face and his shoulder and unlocked the door, pulling it open only to smile at the sight outside of it.

Morgan stood there, dark trousers and a sweater, two boxes of pizza clutched in his hands with two coffees balanced on top. He was holding his phone in the same way Reid was holding his phone. Morgan smiled and Reid moved his phone from where he was holding it before hanging up and sending it, with a small movement of his arm, onto his couch.  
"_Morgan?_" He let out a small laugh as the other man grinned.  
"Can I come in Pretty Boy?"

The next morning, the same thing happened.  
The morning after that, it also happened again.

**..DK**

The first day back at work had been torturous. Everyone had turned to look at him as he walked into the office, their eyes full of a mix of pity and worry. He didn't like it in the slightest.

He caught a glimpse of his reflection in a nearby window. His black jeans were loose on him, his black turtleneck jumper (a different one from the one he had worn that morning) only made his skin look paler. The lines under his eyes made it look as if he had not slept in weeks and even after his best efforts, his hair still fell onto his face whenever he looked down- which was practically every time he caught eye contact with someone.

He bit his lip gently as he tried desperately to focus on whatever Morgan was saying and ignore the dreadful looks. He could imagine what they were thinking about him- they were probably thinking about how weak he was – how he was too pathetic to even be considered an FBI agent. He knew they had all believed that when he had first joined, even Morgan had constantly teased him about being barely more than a kid.

He had proved them wrong... or at the very least he had tried. With every case there were a thousand new things he had to prove to those who were ready to say 'I told you so' when he fell. Nobody seemed to give him a break- not that he really deserved a break but it would have been nice. Just one case without having to prove anything.

But this case, the case about 'The Joker' was the complete opposite of the case he wanted. This case was truly the greatest challenge possible. Every single member of the police force had their reputations on the line since the moment they accepted to work on the case. But the team... Reid knew that if the team failed to stop the Joker before he did something big, everyone would blame them.

He'd be the first other departments would point a finger to. He was the one they would call a 'kid' and say the team should be made of capable members and not children. They had told him as much when he was still struggling to fire a gun properly.

Every time he failed there were five people ready to tell him he'd never get up again. Reid had known that since his first day, which was why he always wanted to prove himself.

But this case was different. This case, unlike many others, wasn't just breaking his heart; it was also draining the very energy that kept him going from him. His doe-eye view of the world and the people in it was being suffocated by the pillow of the reality people like The Joker represented. It was the sort of case which had broken men who were far stronger than him.

Morgan kept on talking as they turned to where they were going to meet JJ and Prentiss. Reid tried to give a final attempt at listening yet the words seemed to blur into each other as he gently rubbed his temple. The banging inside his head kept on going.

"You alright Reid?" Morgan slowed his pace till they were both standing, looking at each other. Reid gave a small nod as Morgan kept talking. "You don't look too well..."  
"Don't say that anywhere Hotch can hear." A small smile tugged the sides of both their lips, yet Reid jumped at the unannounced voice from behind him.  
"Don't say what where I can hear?" Both Morgan and Reid turned to look at the source, only to see Hotch looking back at them with an expression which yelled that he wasn't amused. There was a seriousness in his eyes which told anyone looking straight away he wasn't in the mood for jokes.

His eyes paused on part of the bruise the collar of Reid's sweater wasn't high enough to reach. The seriousness in his eyes was suddenly a mix of anger and sadness. The two emotions faded quickly and he sighed.

"Come on then." He walked ahead of them. The moment he opened the door Reid saw JJ and Prentiss leaning against his desk, the exact same mix of emotions in their eyes. Reid felt like flinching as he considered how much he had let them all down by.

He was going to have to do something big to make up for it.

"Reid..." Emily Prentiss only hesitated a second before pulling Reid into a bone-crunching embrace, only letting go when he gasped out something about needing oxygen. "You're okay." She said that part of the sentence quietly as she moved farther away where she could see him. The worry faded slightly, yet it still seemed to fill her eyes.  
JJ smiled gently, her eyes meeting his.

"I'm fine." Morgan put his arm up as if answering a question only he had heard. "Just in case any of you were wondering." The amusement in his eyes glittered like precious stones and Reid had never been grateful for the interruption.

He could have kissed Morgan for his perfect timing... where on Earth had that thought come from?  
Reid ignored his mind arguing with itself and settled with sending a small smile towards Morgan so he knew how grateful the young genius was.

Morgan sent a small, discreet wink back at Reid before looking back at JJ and Prentiss.  
"I'm sure Garcia will make sure later." Prentiss grinned back, her white teeth on full view.

He couldn't help but hope that things would be easier.  
He should have known by then that it wasn't going to happen.

**..DK**

The third day, he and Morgan were early. Earlier than anyone else.  
They didn't see it at first, but the moment they looked at Reid's desk they saw it in all of its bloody glory.

Reid's usually tidy desk was painted by Joker cards and on the top a mutilated body was placed so he was holding a flower on his chest. The flower was a white lily yet its petals were no longer completely white after the Joker had dipped the flower into the still fresh blood of the officer who lay on the table.

Reid froze as he looked at the pale face of the man he had once known. He knew the officer's name was Joe and that his young fiancée was pregnant with their first child... Last time they had spoken was a week earlier in the lift when Joe had been buzzing happily after the news...

Reid could only stare into the lifeless eyes of the young man.

There as a red bow which kept his hands together and on it the neat words 'to' and 'Spencer' were written.

Both Reid and Morgan remained frozen. The man's blood dripped onto the floor with a small sound. Reid moved first, his hand moving to his lips as if he were to vomit onto the floor in an action he had not done in a long time. He did no such thing, yet he whispered the dead man's name.

Morgan moved next, yelling something about having the area emptied of people so nobody would contaminate the evidence. He swore and asked who had done it. Reid had only a vague idea of what had happened after they saw the body.

The lack of people in the area proved that it was meant for Reid to find the Joker's _gift_. Reid remained frozen on the spot like a baby rabbit in headlights of a speeding car.

Another drip of blood dripped onto the floor.

Reid didn't even know if he could move as he looked at the hundreds of cards which painted every corner of the area he usually worked in. His mind ran back to all the times he had spoken to Joe about Alisha and the baby... Joe had been hoping it would be a little girl and he kept winding Alisha up when pretending not to like the names she came up with.

He kept telling Reid how if she looked anything like her mother, she was going to be the most beautiful baby in the world. Reid could still remember laughing as Joe told him one of the silly names he had suggested to Alisha and how he actually loved the first name she had told him she liked.

It was Maria, Reid could remember that because Joe had said it with so much love for the baby he hadn't even met yet. Reid would always remember how Joe showed him the ring he had gotten Alisha. Reid could still remember Joe panicking about asking Alisha out on their first date.

Reid had known Joe for about five years and even thought they barely spoke when at work they had met up a few times outside of work. He had even become friends with Alisha. He always saw the two as people who would be together until they died.

But Joe had been killed, wounds carved deep into his flesh because a lunatic killer wanted to... what? What was the Joker trying to achieve?

Reid looked at the body on his desk and his heart seemed to break.  
The Joker had killed him to get a message to Reid... Joe had been killed because of him.

The world seemed to fade away around Reid as the body sunk into his memory, the exact pattern of the blood forming a scar in the very core of Reid's essence.

The blood kept on dripping...

"Reid?" Morgan gently grabbed Reid's shoulder, yet the younger man didn't even blink. His eyes remained fixated on the dripping blood. "Pretty boy..." Morgan kept his attention on Reid as the younger man didn't even shift.  
Reid was completely frozen.

They would never know who was more surprised – Morgan or Reid- when Reid finally moved his eyes away from Joe's corpse and he looked into Morgan's panicked eyes.

Then, with absolutely no warning, Reid's large eyes rolled up into his head and he collapsed, like a puppet suddenly finding its strings had been cut, into Morgan's arms.

When Morgan did catch him, his eyes suddenly even wider, he could only lower himself to his knees as he kept Reid close in his embrace. It was surprising how doll-like Reid had become as Morgan gently moved a lock of hair off his face.  
"Pretty boy?" Reid gave no hint of having heard Morgan's small whisper as he remained perfectly still, with only the steady movement of his chest showing he was still alive.

Nearby, The Joker watched what was happening on the screen of his computer, a smile of his face and a still bloody knife resting on his desk.

**..DK**

Hotch arrived about two minutes after Reid had woken up, closely followed by Rossi. Both of their faces were furious as they saw the perfectly staged area around them and the sea of cards and blood covering Reid's desk. Morgan was standing next to the slightly open doors of one of the rooms, waiting for a young paramedic to leave. Neither of the men could tell who the person in the room with the paramedic was.

Somebody had called them to inform them about the body being found but as both men practically ran up the stairs to see who was with the medic they both could feel their hearts racing. When Morgan did turn to look at them, his face was set in stone. There was an anger brimming in his eyes which none of them had seen in a very long time.

"What happened?" Hotch asked the question the moment they made eye contact.  
"That's a very good question." Morgan's tone was like the strongest form of acid as his eyes looked over to Reid's desk. "All I know is that we got here early and Reid's desk has been decorated with Joker cards and his friend's blood." Rossi watched the young man clench his hands into fists. "Then, Reid fainted and I barely caught him when nobody did anything!"

"I didn't faint." Reid's small voice caught all of their attentions as he gently left the other room, seemingly aged ten years. There was an exhaustion to him that Rossi had hoped to never see in the young man he couldn't help but care for.  
The paramedic stepped out of the room; a kind smile on her face, Reid knew it was meant to be reassuring. "Just remember that drinking and eating regularly are _necessary,_ especially when you're under this much stress."Reid let out a small sigh as she walked away, his eyes wandering to his desk and his skin seemed to get even paler. All eyes seemed to remain on him as he swallowed and moved his gaze to the floor, stopping himself from staring at the ruby blood.

"He was going to get married... The baby's due soon..." Reid whispered the words as his eyes moved back to the desk. "He had so much ahead of him but... That was taken from him..." Hotch felt like pulling the younger man into a hug, yet Morgan placed a hand on his skinny shoulder. Reid looked into Hotch's eyes and asked the question which broke all of their hearts. "_Was it my fault_?"

They didn't know it but as the case truly began (the moment Reid asked that question) a pattern emerged. The case both started, and was to end, with two questions which would forever mark their places in everyone present's hearts. The answers for the two questions were opposites, one a yes and one a no. Both were questions which reminded the others how gentle Reid still was and how pure his heart truly was.

Both times, it was Hotch who was to answer the questions Reid was to ask.

_Was it my fault?_

Hotch could feel Rossi get even tenser next to him and he saw Morgan's grip tighten. Both of the other men kept looking at Reid as if he had just kicked their puppy. Hotch found that he could barely stand to keep the eye contact he had with Reid. He could still remember how when he had first met Reid his eyes were glittering with the simple joy of _being_ and his trust in everything had still been fresh. As he looked into Reid's eyes at that moment, none of those features he had grown to care for were there.

Reid's eyes were eyes which belonged to a person who had been pushed to the edge of their sanity. There was a deadly cocktail of sorrow, guilt, fear and desperation in his eyes that Hotch had never wanted to affiliate to Reid. They were ingredients which didn't belong in Reid's eyes... yet, no matter what, there was no hatred in his eyes. They were still the most caring eyes anyone on the team would ever see.

The guilt and pain in his eyes was like a sea and the young man would drown in it if he wasn't careful.

Hotch couldn't help but wonder if maybe choosing Reid to be part of the team had only been a selfish choice which had come back to bite all of them as they saw Reid breaking like glass under the Joker's shoes.

"No." He said the word with every bit of passion he could without showing too much emotion. "Reid, this isn't your fault." He knew Reid didn't believe him as Reid's teeth sunk into his bottom lip. "There is no way on earth this is anyone's fault but The Joker's." That much was true, yet Hotch still felt himself being pulled into the same sea Reid seemed to be stuck in. As useless as guilt was, it was too powerful to completely ignore.

"He's right kid." Rossi agreed quickly as he watched Reid's shoulders slouch down, his eyes moving from Hotch to Rossi. "None of this is your fault. You aren't responsible for what this... for what this _monster_ has done. But what you can do is catch him."

Reid nodded, slowly allowing more of his hair to fall onto his face like a shield. He knew it wasn't his fault but the image of his lifeless friend would forever haunt him.

He could only do one thing.  
He could only hope to beat the Joker at his own game before the steaks got too high.  
(In some senses, that much he would never succeed in doing.)

All he could do was do what he was best at doing – working things out. He needed to work everything out and find a way to stop the Joker without any more innocent lives being taken. He knew he didn't have long, he could _feel_ that he would be seeing the Joker soon but he had no idea how soon he was actually going to see the man.

If he had known how little time he had and how high the stakes were then Spencer Reid, child genius, would probably have fainted again and not just because of the lack of food, drink and sleep.

**..DK**

Bruce Wayne sat next to the window of his jet, his eyes staring out into the light sky. He wasn't far from his destination and as his forehead touched the glass he could only let out a small sigh.

He hadn't been Batman in what felt like years and he felt like an addict, desperate to feel the release Batman held once again. He kept his vision out of the window as he considered what was going to happen next. To everyone else he was just going to visit one of his father's closest friends but both he and Alfred knew that the addicted side of him was seeking the Joker for the revenge he had been waiting for.

He had lost both Batman and Rachel because of the Joker's games so the moment he heard that the Joker had returned into the public eye he had been ready to run after the madman and make him pay. He didn't really care if he was caught or not, his mind set on the vengefulness much alike to the one which had pulled Harvey Dent down to the Joker's level.

Alfred had been against it of course, telling Bruce that he shouldn't put himself in such a position and that the Joker was in the FBI's hands (God help them). The moment Bruce had pointed out the member of the team he had once known Alfred relented a little, knowing he was a good man.

Yet as Bruce Wayne sat on the plane, he felt completely alone. Was this battle worth fighting? He knew that his revenge wouldn't get Rachel back but since she had gone he was left empty, like he had nothing to aim for. His aim was to hand his cape to Harvey and let him finish cleaning the streets so he could have a life with Rachel.

But that option had been lost in the flames which had eaten her and had broken Harvey's mind.

He gently pulled his phone out and placed the headphones in his ears, desperately seeking a distraction from the thousand thoughts which were filling his mind. He knew that he had to go after the Joker; he couldn't just let him ruin the lives of more innocent people. If he did allow the Joker to do that he would never be able to live with himself. The Joker had already hurt far too many people.

He skipped through his songs, trying to find something which held absolutely no meaning to him but with every lyric he could only find his mind thinking harder and harder about what he should do.

He glared at his phone as he put it down.

He had forty minutes of the journey left before he had anything to distract himself with. He had forty minutes to decide what course of action he wanted to take, and if was going to be him or Batman to take it. He knew that if he went back to Batman he would be addicted to the power Batman held but if he didn't then whoever the Joker was targeting would lose everything.

Could he cope with that happening because he did nothing?

He knew that unlike in Gotham there would be far less corruption in the groups of people working on the cases but even in the FBI there were those who would already be easily swayed from one side to the other. The Joker was clever and if he wanted something he got it. He had wanted to weaken Batman and he had. He wanted to be the cause of Harvey Dent's downfall and he was.

Whatever he wanted this time he would probably get and how could Bruce stop him without getting addicted to Batman's power again? There was no way that a public figure like Bruce (no more than a rich playboy) could ever do anything big without causing bad questions to come up. That was why he had needed a new identity to stop the bad things which were happening.

But, he hadn't stopped them. He was just the spark which set the Joker off and because of his choices many had been hurt. His guilt because of that was nearly as unbearable as the anger which filled him.

He _needed_ to be able to look at a mirror again without the feeling of hatred he felt when he did look in the mirror. He _needed_ to be able to shut his eyes and not the flames behind him and the flame eating half of Harvey's screaming face. He _needed_ to be able to visit Rachel's grave and no longer have to say that he was sorry but rather be able to tell her that he had done it. He wanted to be able to smile as he touched her headstone and tell her everything was going to be okay and mean it.

He swallowed a gulp of his water which he had forgotten was there. He knew exactly what bag the Batman equipment was in and he knew which bad had the picture of him and Rachel in. He just had to decide between the two.

What would have Rachel preferred? Him to go back to the Batman and save innocent people or to leave the Batman forever and allow the FBI to hold all of the cards... Those were the only options. Which one would have Rachel preferred?

He placed the crystal glass down onto the white serviette and looked at the light shining off it. Did it matter what Rachel wanted anymore? She was gone, dead for a madman's amusement. He knew she was never going to be back and he knew he needed to get on with his own life but the idea of never seeing her again hurt.

Should he stay loyal to what she would have wanted or do what his heart was yelling at him to do?

There wasn't really a choice as he looked out of the window a final time. He knew what he was going to do even if he hadn't admitted it to himself yet.

He let out another sigh as he shut his eyes, trying to remember what the man who had been like an uncle to him looked like. After all, it had been a long time since he had seen David Rossi in person.

* * *

_"Criminals aren't complicated, Alfred. We just need to figure out what he's after."_

_

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So? Good? Bad? I know it's not the best chapter- sorry but it was needed for plot points more than anything else! I didn't really like it but next chapter will be better! X  
Like I said earlier, fanfiction wasn't letting me reply to review so HERE are the replies:

**TheOneThatIsAddictedToHPfics**: I plan to. ;)X

**Nymphadora-CullenBAU**: I'm glad you liked chapter one and I hope this chapter wasn't a letdown! I did try really hard and there will be more Joker/Reid interaction in next chapter. Thank you for reviewing. X

**Kamiyoukai**: Thank you! I'm SO happy you liked it and I hope the newest chapter didn't disappoint. J Thank you again for your compliment, I was smiling all day because of it. X

**filmgurl2008**: I'll stop worrying when this story is over! :D I'm glad I didn't disappoint you and I hope this chapter was the same with the non-disappointing theme I'm trying to stick to. *nervous laugh* I'm sure it would be. Please tell me if you want me to redo anything! *goes all panicky*X

**groovydolly**: I'm really happy you liked it! Thank you for reviewing- I hope this wasn't a failure. X

**Kirra kills**: The only person fanfiction DID let me reply to. ;) X

**The Petulant Prodigy**: Thank you! I hope you still like this even after this horrible chapter. *sigh* Thank you again for the review. X

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If you still want it, more is coming soon but please let me know what your thoughts were/are!

**Love,  
J.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Title: **Obsessed with the Light**  
Chapter: **3 of 12**  
Summary: **To good there is bad. There must always be an opposite for a balance to be found- but unluckily, opposites react. When darkness is obsessed with light, what cost must be paid to keep the balance?  
**Pairing(s):** Morgan/Reid (later on), The Joker/Reid (rather one sided if you don't squint), Bruce Wayne/Emily Prentiss  
**Rating: **Strong T  
**Warnings:** Violence, slash, minor character death, gore, swearing and my favourite, ANGST.  
**Spoilers/Time Setting:** Based after season three of Criminal Minds and after The Dark Knight. (There might be more Criminal Minds spoilers later on...)  
**Disclaimer: **I WISH I could claim to own either Criminal Minds or The Dark Knight but I can't. I only own part of this story.  
**A/N: H**ey! Okay, my first fanfiction for both Criminal Minds and The Dark Knight. This story is based and dedicated to the wonderful **filmgurl2006** and the video made by the said person called 'Joker X Reid: Kiss my eyes', the link to which is on my channel. That video is the reason this story was born and **filmgurl2006** is the reason you're reading this!  
I hope I didn't disappoint... :) And I hope EVERYONE likes this!

**A/N_2: **Thank you to everyone who reviewed and sorry for the wait- my muse ran away. :D I hope this chapter is okay.  
Please review at the end. *pitiful begging*

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"_That's the point of Batman. He can be the outcast. He can make the choice that no one else will make..."_

_

* * *

_The moment Bruce Wayne's feet touched the floor he allowed himself to take a deep breath and his eyes surveyed the area he was in. His heart was pounding in his chest in a way it had not for a very long time and his hands were sweaty as he clenched them into balls. It had been a very long time since he had seen David Rossi and he had no idea what to expect.

Bruce swallowed as he looked at his watch, when he did look he found he had landed slightly early for what he had planned. He wasn't supposed to surprise Rossi for another hour and he had absolutely no idea what he was meant to do with his time. He let out the sigh he had been suppressing and he wondered yet again what Rossi would be like. He hadn't seen him since the day his parents had been buried and he feared how many emotions seeing the man who had been such close friends with his father would bring to the surface. Just thinking about it was making him feel nervous so actually even the idea of _speaking_ to the man was enough to make the Batman shrink away in fear.

David Rossi had been close friends with Bruce's father since the two men had been children and even after Rossi's family and he had moved away the two men had still succeeded in being friends- Rossi had even become friends with Bruce's mother and he had been considered part of the family for as long as Bruce knew and he had been one of the first people to know about when Bruce's mother had found out she was expecting the baby she had been so desperately hoping for. After two miscarriages she had been petrified to tell Bruce's father in the fear of breaking his heart yet again. They had both suffered so much in the past years and with the stress of their jobs she was unsure if even having a child was a good idea. Rossi had become the shoulder Bruce's family had wept and laughed upon for a long time. It was not until two months before his parents murder that Rossi lost contact with them even if for a short while.

In that short while he had lost his chance to make amends and Bruce had lost his family. He could still remember how the always composed David Rossi had shed tears as Bruce remained frozen, both of them watching two of the kindest people they would ever know being lowered into the ground as people said their farewells.

Bruce still missed them and if ever asked he would never admit how with their deaths he had started falling to the level he was currently stuck at. He was far lower than he had ever been and deep down he knew his family would be so very disappointed in him. He had hurt so many good people.. he had been the cause of so much bad it was beyond ridiculous. They had only been the start and he knew that Rachel would not be the last. Maybe it was instinct or maybe something else but deep down in the pit of his empty stomach he knew that there were still more to join the list. In truth there was only one more pure name which would be listed later on in a deadly red ink which would match the blood and the angry flames.

There was only one more name which he would carry as a heavy load till he reached his grave. There was only one name and the smell of burning. Yet Bruce Wayne had no idea of what was coming next as he forced himself to walk forwards, getting closer and closer to the already decided destiny. His heart was racing and his breathing fast yet he kept those emotions off his face. He suddenly felt like the lost child he had been the last time he had seen Rossi.

Would Rossi even want to see him? He had not truly considered that point. After the funeral he had only received the odd card from Rossi and the odd gift- nothing more. Maybe Rossi did not want to see him because he blamed him for what had happened. Bruce tried to ignore the option but he could not help but believe it was a valid option.

He hoped Rossi wouldn't mind seeing him with no notice but he also hoped that he would be able to keep his composure.

It was far too late to turn back, that much was clear and Bruce kept chanting in his head that Batman would never allow something so small to scare him. The other part of his head reminded him how Bruce and Batman had become two separate identities, two sides of one person and if Bruce allowed himself to think like Batman again he would lose himself in the possibilities Batman had. He didn't want that to happen because if he did Rachel's doubt of him ever giving Batman up would be cemented and he would have to admit to himself that even if she had lived he would have lost her in a completely different manner.

He started to walk, his black bag being carried by the man who was talking to his far too fast for anyone to understand. He gave a feeble attempt at listening to what the man was saying yet he only caught the words 'you' and 'and'. He decided the odd nod where it seemed appropriate would be the best option. He didn't really care what the man was saying, his mind wondering to a new topic.  
_The Joker_.

If he ran into the Joker would he be able to control himself? The Joker had been correct when he had said the only thing he had to do to survive was live without his one rule. He knew he wouldn't be able to stop himself from killing the Joker if he got close enough. In all truth he didn't want to stop himself. Would any jury be able to look him in the eyes and say that it was a bad choice? If they did think that then they were one of the few whose life hadn't been touched by the Joker.

To Bruce it seemed the entire world was covered with a layer of black paint and everywhere he looked he could see the Joker's smile and every single time he closed his eyes he could hear the Joker's laugh over the sound of the burning building. He was slowly losing his grip of reality and he was slipping into the Joker's madness. Batman had been created to fight the worst of humanity and to do that properly he had to partly _become_ the darkness so that he could understand how it worked.  
Very much like a drug, the darkness was inside of him and it would always be a part of him. That was why there were two sides to him. The Batman could cope with the darkness without becoming too poisoned... Bruce didn't think he could. The Batman was far stronger than Bruce considered himself to be and he felt weak without that side of himself. He longed to be Batman again like an alcoholic longed for that one drink. Both knew that one more time would awaken an addiction.

With a small sigh Bruce kept on walking, deciding he would go to meet Rossi directly and not wait around. He kept telling himself things were going to get better yet deep down the truth was as clear as the flames in his future and past. Things were going to get far worse before they got anywhere near being better.

But he didn't know that as he kept on walking, his head held high and the pain in his eyes hidden by his black sunglasses. Bruce Wayne kept on walking and he didn't notice a figure in the distance watching him carefully, a large scarred smile twisting on the white paint. Bruce didn't see the figure turn and walk away as he got into his ride.

The little hands of faith slowly moved indicating how the time of peace was running out and the storm after the calm was still to come. There is always a storm after the calm and if anyone who was involved believed that the worst had been seen they were about to see how bad things could really get when the Joker desired something as strongly as he desire the FBI's baby genius.

Nobody had any idea of the storm coming but even if they had know, nothing would have changed.  
Some things are just meant to be and what happened was one of the little things which changed everything forever.

All because a madman wanted some_one_ he should never have.

**...DK**

Alisha opened the door a good twenty seconds after Reid had forced himself to nod, and when she had Reid could see her golden heart break in her glittering blue eyes. It took all of his strength to not cry as he saw how her white dress clung to the round bump which was clear on her slim figure. Her oyster pink nails glittered and her pink lips parted.

He tried desperately to detach himself as the sight of the young woman hit him. Her long black hair was pulled into a plat which barely reached her waist and the pink bow which kept her hair up had a small 'A' in it. Reid could remember Joe talking about her wearing it and he could still hear the other man's laugh as he told Reid about Alisha always smelling like chocolate chip pancakes. That much was true.

Reid froze as her eyes met his, almost instantly working out what had happened. He could see her bright smile disappear as the broken whimper left her lips.  
"_No..."_ Her hands moved to cover her lips as she realised why he was there. "_Please..."_ What could he say? He could feel Morgan move so he was closer to Reid but his presence did nothing to reassure the young genius. All he could do was watch one of his closest friends break down right before his eyes because of him. Alisha's voice was broken as she searched Reid's slightly red eyes for the answer she already knew.

"I'm sorry..." The words had never felt so useless before. He felt like a fish out of water as the tears in her large blue eyes started rolling down her cheeks. He had told Hotch he would tell her himself and at the time he had believed it would be best to tell her himself. He was regretting that choice as his own tears threatened to spill.

How was he supposed to tell her that her fiancée, the love of her life and the father of her unborn baby had been brutally murdered by a madman _because of him_? It was his fault- if he hadn't caught the Joker's eye then Joe would still be alive, looking forwards to seeing his baby for the first time and hoping Alisha was okay. Joe had a beautiful future ahead of him and yet it was all lost... because of Reid.

Reid knew it was stupid to blame himself but he couldn't not blame himself. Joe had been killed mercilessly and it was Reid's fault. How was he meant to tell her that? How was he meant to tell her that if he had been given the choice he would gladly have saved Joe at the cost of himself?

Joe had everything to live for- he had a family who loved him, Alisha, a baby on the way, a good job and everything was going well. What did Reid have? His life was based around his job, he had no real connections outside of work and he sincerely doubted that anyone would ever truly love him the way Alisha loved Joe. Whenever he loved someone he was never loved back. He didn't really mind, but after so long alone he knew his chances of finding a love returned was close to none- Joe had so much to live for... he had things Reid would never have.

Reid would have gladly switched places with Joe.

"I'm so sorry..." He would never know what he would have said next. Alisha's small cry stopped him from saying anything else. Alisha stumbled back before she seemed to fall forwards like... Reid had nothing to compare her with. The team never sent him to tell the families of victims because he wasn't good with emotions. He never knew what the right thing to say was.

When Alisha stumbled he could do nothing but move forwards, quickly pulling her into an embrace, her petite frame fitting closely to his tall form. Each sob with rang through her body caused her to shake like an earthquake. As much as he hated physical contact he had no idea what else to do.

"No..." Her voice was like a punch to Reid's heart as her small fists hit his chest. He shut his eyes tightly as he struggled to stop his own tears from falling in the cascades they wanted to fall in. He wasn't good with dealing with his own emotions, never mind the emotions of others.

He had never truly hated anyone before that moment yet as he held Alisha in his arms he felt a deep and burning hate for the Joker. He hated him for so much... He hated him for killing Joe. He hated him for kidnapping Matthew. He hated him for all the harm he had done. He hated him for hurting Alisha. He hated him for taking the baby's father away from it before they ever met. He hated him for the games which had only just begun.

He hated him for making him feel so _weak_. He hated the Joker for making his head spin as he desperately tried to work out why it was all happening- he suddenly understood what it felt like to be useless. What could do when the only motivation such a clever and twisted man had was _wanting_ what he couldn't have.

At that very moment Reid hated the Joker for making him realise how little control he had over the events happening... He could truly do nothing to protect those he cared about because the moment he entered a mind like the Joker's there would be no going back.  
(There was already no going back.)

"We'll get him... I promise..." He wasn't sure if he was making the promise to Alisha or to himself but the moment he said the words he knew they would be the death of him.  
(Close your eyes and you'll see it...)

Morgan swallowed as he saw Alisha stop struggling in Reid's arms and she simply continued sobbing like a scared child. Reid kept his hard embrace around her shaking body as Morgan's eyes fell to the floor wishing desperately he could say something. What could he say?

Yet the only sounds which filled the empty air were sobbing and Reid's gently whispered words which were carried away by the bitterly cold breeze.  
"We **will** get him 'lish. I promise."

He hated him for confusing him.

**...DK**

Reid hadn't spoken a single word since he had gotten back in the car with Morgan almost an hour of tears later. His face had seemed to shift into a broken mask, perfect unless you knew what it had once been. For those who had known it before they had opened the cruel brown files it was perfectly visible how the cracks were growing and they knew that the moment it all got too much the pieces would fall to the ground and none of them would be able to put him back together again.

The day had passed slowly and by the time it was four pm everyone looked lost. Rossi was amazed that even Hotch's eyes were glued on the youngest member of the team who simply sat in the corner of the room with his own eyes stuck to a moth which had been trapped in the room since they had arrived. Reid simply watched its little brown wings move quickly as the creature desperately tried to escape its prison. Reid could relate... the entire case felt like a prison and he could see no way out of it.

Morgan was sat near Reid, not too close to make him feel nervous but anyone could see how he was in a position where he could easily access Reid in the necessity of pulling him into a hug.  
It was pretty obvious from the glances Morgan kept sending the young man.

JJ was in another corner with Prentiss, both of them drowning in the files which covered about _ten percent_ of all known damage the Joker had done. Every so often they would glance over whatever horror they were reading to the man who was being affected the worst by it. Everyone in the room (apart from Reid) was thinking the same thing. At least the horrors written on the pages would fade for them but for Reid every single word was engraved within his mind and the words would be with him to his grave... no matter how far or near into the future it was.

Hotch and Rossi were also looking through files yet both were struggling to concentrate on the words and not the silence radiating off the area behind them. Reid's hazel eyes did not shift from the scared moth in the corner of the room. His lips were pressed into a thin line and his hands were hidden under his folded arms.

Hotch looked up from the page he was reading and looked at Rossi, releasing a small breath. They could both see the team falling apart under the pressure from the case.

"We're not going to find anything- we are all too exhausted." Hotch placed his file down and Rossi did the same as Hotch continued. "What we need is to go and _eat_ something before getting a few decent hours of sleep."  
"He's right." Rossi's tone was exhausted and the moment he thought about it he realised he could not remember the last time he had eaten. After Reid fainting they were all beginning to truly worry about him causing himself damage by his constant forgetting that he was indeed human and not a machine created to find the Joker. "We all need to go away so when we come back we can look at this with fresh eyes." It was a half truth. They did need to be able to look at it all with fresh eyes but they also needed to have a night away from the case.

It wasn't really surprising how quickly Prentiss and JJ were to jump away from the files and walk to the exit with Hotch and Rossi. Morgan was next, gently pulling Reid's arm to make him walk. Hotch had considered sending him home earlier yet he had not been able to. How could he send Reid to be alone like that when he was in such a state? No... they needed to keep an eye on the young man. Hotch and Rossi had even discussed asking Morgan to stay at Reid's to make sure he was alright.

This was the very worst moment to leave him alone, it was clear in his eyes that if they didn't help him he was going to crash and _burn_ (one day they would regret such a choice of words). They needed to be there... Hotch could still remember how painful it had been to realise the lack of support from the team had been part of the reason why Elle had gone the way she had. Maybe if they had been there more for her things would have been different.

But it was too late to change how things went with Elle. In some ways it was already too late to change how things were going to end. Fate had already decided and the only paths visible seemed to lead to the very same glittering river of red rubies which was to be directly connected to wounds their hearts would be exposed to. Each little drop in the river of burning blood was connected to what was still to happen that very day.

In some ways they were all to blame and in other ways none of them were to blame.  
They would all blame themselves and the truest victims would blame no one.

Morgan kept nudging Reid, turning himself into the last person to leave the room, his eyes only lingering on the moth for a second before he kept on walking. As the door shut with an almost soundless click the moth seemed to surrender as it gently landed on the floor beneath where it had been flying. Nobody was there to witness how its wings gave a final attempt to flutter before all movement stopped and the room was completely still.

Nobody would miss the moth and nobody would even pause at its death. Why should anyone pause at the death of one insect? The idea itself is stupid yet the loss of life is always a loss of life. No matter how large or small a life is a life.

**...DK**

Morgan and Hotch had spoken halfway through the team's walk to the diner they were going to eat in, the conversation went quickly with Hotch asking if Morgan was okay with keeping an eye on Reid and Morgan quickly telling him that he was. It was evident from the look in his eyes that he was just as worried, if not more, about Reid's wellbeing. How could he not be? He had been the first to greet Reid on his first day and he had been one of the first to truly put himself on the line to protect him.

Dinner was very much like standing on eggshells. JJ succeeded in getting Reid to whisper out a statistic and they had all been far passed relieved when he took a half decent bite of his burger and a sip of his drink. In truth Reid was neither thirsty or hungry yet with all eyes on him he knew he had to do something to make them feel better. So he did what they wanted and tried to keep his mind busy with whatever had nothing to do with the case.  
Not that it lasted long, it took less than thirty seconds for his brain to roll back to the forbidden topic of the case.

Two people had been found to have been kidnapped by the Joker: Mathew, the son of one of the newly remarried, richest and dirtiest layer in very possibly all of America. Roxanne Darko, recently become Mrs. Rouge, was also the aunt of the girl who had been kidnapped that same night.

Tamsin Drake was the redhead who had also been taken that night. Her mother had died in child labour and her father was rarely in the country so the moment she had turned eighteen she had left the boarding school in England her father had left her in since she had been ten and she had completely rebelled. Studying Law and Criminology was just her final little dig at him.

Their family was the only thing Mathew and Tamsin had in common but their family had received no form of message from the Joker. To normal police officers that fact would seem odd, after all why kidnap someone if you don't want money? Reid could easily see why. The Joker wasn't interest in money, it was just something he could play with.

Whatever game the Joker way playing Mathew and Tamsin were going to be cards in the game and Reid had the feeling that he wasn't going to like the game. How could he? If it were up to the Joker the world would be even worse than it was already... his games were just another shadow which matched the darkness inside of him.

The rest of dinner passed in a quick haze and the team continued with sad attempts to distract each other. None of them spoke of the elephant in the room who whispered to all of them doubts about what was coming next and questions about what the Joker wanted... was the game they had fallen into intended for all of them or was it the Joker's time to ruin whatever purity he could? He had been to blame for Harvey Dent's downfall and Morgan had seen the look in his eyes when he had met Spencer Reid. The look had been an animalistic hunger and the need to _destroy_.

The look in the Joker's eyes had scared Morgan more than anything in his entire life had.

Dinner was nearly over when a tall man approached Rossi, a smile painted on his pale features. The moment Rossi saw him he froze mid sentence, his eyes widening in an almost cartoon like style. The other man laughed gently and his name immediately popped into Reid's mind along with one of the case files. The one thing he did not know was how he knew Rossi.

"You've gotten old." Bruce's words were said lightly as the smile on his face grew, yet it was obvious how it never reached his eyes. Even the smile seemed forced and his shoulders were hunched as if he were carrying the entire world on them- he held himself with pride and a false arrogance. Reid could easily see how the man before them could convince the world he was something he was not.  
"You've gotten arrogant." A laugh escaped Rossi's lips and Rossi had no hesitation in pulling him into an embrace which could cripple even the strongest man.

Bruce hadn't gone directly to see Rossi, choosing rather to meet him after work when he would not be busy... Even then he had been too nervous to approach when he was with his team, so he had discreetly followed them to the nearby diner and had waited for a moment of courage to approach. The fears which he had from his childhood seemed to have been magnified and his mind kept pestering him. What if Rossi still blamed him? Did Rossi blame him?

Rossi let go of him a few seconds later, yet still kept him at arm's length. The older man was smiling a grin of pure joy. "You never told me you were coming into town." The tone in his voice was scolding, like a mother telling her son off even though they both knew the answer.  
"I wanted it to be a surprise." Was it still okay to call him Uncle Dave? "Are you going to introduce me to your friends?" Rossi's smile grew to an incredible size as he turned to the team, his left arm wrapped around Bruce's shoulders proudly.

"This is Bruce Wayne... I was close friends with his father." Rossi swallowed the lump in his throat at the memory of the man he had once known. The night Bruce's parents had been murdered was also the date he had not been able to go to see them as planned. He quickly shifted his attention to his teammates. "The brooding one in the black suit is Aaron Hotchner." Bruce sent a smile to Hotch and Hotch allowed a rare curve of his lips as he nodded in acknowledgement. "The blonde is JJ." JJ gave a little wave and Bruce grinned yet again. "She's taken." Rossi's comment caused Bruce to roll his eyes and JJ let out a tiny laugh. "Those two who seem to have sunk into their seats are Derek Morgan and Spencer Reid." Morgan nodded and Reid looked slightly embarrassed as he sent Bruce a miniscule smile. "And last but not least is Emily Prentiss."  
Emily grinned back, "Hey."

There was a moment Bruce and Emily glanced at each other and as cliché as it sounds Rossi had to cough to break the 'moment'. The rest of the team let out tiny laughs, not having enough energy within them to fully laugh.

Conversation seemed to come easily after that, Reid actually emerging from his little shell enough to have a fair chat with Bruce. Surprisingly Bruce wasn't half as self absorbed as the media claimed and he knew a fair bit on the topics Reid was comfortable enough to speak about. Whenever it wasn't Bruce talking to Reid it was Bruce talking to Emily, the easy banter lightening all of their moods.

It gave a whole new meaning to the phrase 'the calm before the storm'.

**...DK**

By the time dinner had ended and they were all walking to their cars Reid seemed to still be standing as close to Morgan as possible and Morgan seemed to be standing defensively and ready to defend Spencer from anything which could harm him.

Bruce and Rossi had left together after Rossi had insisted there was no way Bruce was walking around alone, to which Bruce had informed him he was no longer nine years old and he would be fine walking alone... after all, he really didn't fancy candy so he wouldn't be tempted to go off with strangers. Rossi had resulted to sending him a disapproving glance before Bruce gave in with a 'yes dad' comment. They could all see how obvious it was Rossi liked being called dad.

Emily and JJ had also walked together as nobody really wanted to walk alone. Hotch had been the only one not really walking with anyone but he had been on the phone checking that Jack was okay. After Mathew being taken the father side of Hotch was like a lion, protective beyond belief of his cub.

Morgan and Reid walked together; the given reason was that Morgan was driving Reid home. That much was true yet the protectiveness was more than that. There was something neither man could name... neither of them wanted to name it.

The ride home was silent, filled with the odd glance or comment to try desperately to appear to want everything to be normal. Don't get me wrong, they wanted things to go back to how they had once been (God did they want things to be like they had been) but they knew better than to ask for something which was never going to happen. Instead Morgan silently begged for Reid to remain out of his little shell within his guarded mind.

Reid seemed grateful when Morgan's car parked in front of the apartment building and he stepped out, a small thank you leaving his tired lips just before he shut the door. Morgan forced himself to grin, a quick 'see you later Pretty Boy' shouted behind Reid who sent a small wave over his shoulder to show he had heard Morgan. Both of them had small smiles on their faces as they got on with what they had to do before Morgan would turn up for their little routine. At least they thought they would, in reality fate had other things planned.

But they didn't know that.

Reid quickly jumped up the stairs, ignoring the flickering lights over his head. They had been intending to replace it for ages but he didn't really focus on it, rushing to his own door with his key ready in his hands. The door opened soundlessly and he closed the door behind himself before turning to the wall and switching the light on. The light flickered on before dying leaving him in darkness.

Reid let out a small curse as he started to turn around, pausing as his phone vibrated in his pocket. His fingers wrapped around it and his pulled it out, glad as the white light illuminated the room and his face. (He didn't see the shadows move behind him.)

The number was not one he recognised; instead he had never seen it before. It took a single click for the message to open, quickly loading the image and text which were to ruin any good mood he or the people he cared about had.

The image which filled the screen was an image of a Joker card balanced next to a clock- the clock next to Reid's bed to be more precise. The large green numbers announced it was half past ten. Reid's eyes widened like a deer in the headlights as he quickly scrolled down too set eyes upon the text beneath the image. There in dark black letters the latest message from the Joker taunted him playfully.

_Turn around Beautiful._

Reid barely got a chance to turn around before he felt himself shoved against the wall so hard he could practically feel his bones curve and twist within his body. In the small second he was frozen in his gun was quickly grabbed and chucked to the other side of the room. Even in the darkness he could see the outline of the Joker's smile and the only sound was them breathing and his phone hitting the floor.

"Hello beautiful." The Joker was practically shining with the glee which filled him as Reid struggled for breath thank to the Joker's grip around his almost swan like neck. "Did you miss me?" Reid's eyes widened even further as the grip was tightened. He let out a small sound as his hands moved to try and loosen the grip. The Joker simply smiled.

Morgan wasn't going to be there till far later. He could be dead by then- no, Reid could not help but correct himself. He _would_ be dead if the Joker wished for him to be but something inside of his mind was telling him that the Joker was not planning to kill him.

He wasn't sure what happened before he felt himself being slammed across the room, many of his belongings smashed to the ground and he gasped as he pushed himself up from the remains of his glass table, the little shards causing ruby blood to drip from his hands. His hands were under his body and he pushed his chest up with a small breath. His head was pounding and the darkness was causing him to shake. The Joker's presence was causing his heart to pound against his ribs.

His eyes fell on the framed picture which had fallen to the ground and smashed. It was a picture of when he was still a child, around six, sitting on a small rug under a tree with his mother. They were both smiling yet the cracked glass caused a single line to run in the space between them.

The tissue paced onto his lips and nose had no smell or flavour yet as he struggled for freedom he could practically feel his heart start to beat slower and his eyes seemed to roll up, his eyelids became impossible to keep open and they fell down, pulling him into a complete darkness until he woke up again. His hands gave up the struggle and they fell down onto the floor, hitting the glass on the ground when they did finally reach his destination.

His flat fell into another moment of silence and even the world outside seemed to pull in a deep breath, awaiting what was going to happen next. It is often that in moments of great disaster everyone can feel it in their very bones but nobody can name what is wrong. By the time even one person knows it is often too late and that feeling is forgotten.

As Reid fell into the pit of darkness and fire which was contained within his mind Morgan entered his own home, only pausing when a shiver ran down his back. He thought nothing of it and he went to have a shower, trying not to think. He'd given up the idea of sleeping, his dream (much like Spencer's) were only filled with horrors. Unlike Reid his dreams were filled with rain, masses of pure raindrops falling and as they hit the ground the red on the ground seemed to become a sea of ashes and blood. Before even waking up Morgan would be in the middle of the sea and his eyes would fall on a single slender white hand sinking under the water. In the dream Morgan would wake up as Reid was lost under the red.

Morgan would flinch just remembering the dream. Later he would hate himself for not listening to his gut which was yelling at him to run back and check on Reid. He chose not to and by the time he did go to Reid's flat he was too late. The Joker's plan had started unravelling and the team had no idea that they didn't have long before all choices, all options, would come down to one and lost tears in the rain.

The future was already set because for the balance to be set again one side had to lose. The darkness and the light had met right in the middle and opposites always react.

* * *

"_The right choice."_

"_Those who hate most fervently must have once loved deeply; those who want to deny the world must have once embraced what they now set on fire."  
Kurt Tucholsky._

_

* * *

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So? Good or bad? Let me know whatever you thought! Please? *puppy dog eyes*  
I tried SO hard! A big thank you to **filmgurl2006 **for letting me write this and a thank you to EVERYONE who reviewed, I know my writing isn't always the best or easiest to read but I hope the storyline is worth it. X

**Love,  
J.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Title: **Obsessed with the Light**  
Chapter: **4 of 12**  
Summary: **To good there is bad. There must always be an opposite for a balance to be found- but unluckily, opposites react. When darkness is obsessed with light, what cost must be paid to keep the balance?  
**Pairing(s):** Morgan/Reid (very soon), The Joker/Reid (if you look carefully it's all mind games with these too... mind games never turn out good), Bruce Wayne/Emily Prentiss  
**Rating: **Strong T  
**Warnings:** Violence, slash, minor character death, gore, swearing and my favourite, ANGST.  
**Spoilers/Time Setting:** Based after episode one hundred of Criminal Minds and after The Dark Knight. (I know, I'm sorry but the spoilers got more... recent...)  
**Disclaimer: **I WISH I could claim to own either Criminal Minds or The Dark Knight but I can't. I only own part of this story.  
**A/N: H**ey! Okay, my first fanfiction for both Criminal Minds and The Dark Knight. This story is based and dedicated to the wonderful **filmgurl2006** and the video made by the said person called 'Joker X Reid: Kiss my eyes', the link to which is on my channel. That video is the reason this story was born and **filmgurl2006** is the reason you're reading this!  
I hope I didn't disappoint... :) And I hope EVERYONE likes this!

**A/N_2: **Also, I'm SO sorry about the delay... I've had some bad things going on in my life. My grandad has bowel cancer and lung cancer, his skin condition is getting worse and the other week he injured himself by falling over. He was too weak to get up and would have bled to death if he had not been found. His wife, my nan, is suffering a great deal because of stress and her own face condition which make talking very painful. Their oldest son, my dad's big brother, had a stroke closely followed by a heart attack. He had surgery not too long ago but he doesn't seem any better. My father is heartbroken. The bullying at my school has been steadily getting worse as my friends have chosen to abandon me as I 'ruin their reputations'... The other day I turned fifteen and I've been away.  
:( I wish I could promise I will be better with updates but I truly cannot... I will try harder though. I'm not very happy with this chapter but the next chapter, already written, is far better. I'm sorry if this chapter isn't that good but I truly did try. I know many of you are annoyed at me and have every right to be but I** AM** sorry. Please review anyway.

* * *

"_Cruelty is fed, not weakened, by tears."  
_Pubililius Syrus

* * *

"_Today I found out what Batman can't do..."_

* * *

The pounding in his head was the first thing he noticed as his eyes flickered open, embracing the blurry world which surrounded him. His hazel eyes blinked quickly as he tried to focus on the singular orange light on the perfectly white ceiling; the pounding making it hard for him to focus on anything and the sudden brightness was only increasing the pain. His teeth sunk into his bottom lip as he slowly forced his mind to wake up enough to think.

His heart felt as if it was attempting to break through his chest as he pulled at the restraints around his wrists. Trying to force his arms to move. He was held to the chair by a thick rope which kept his arms behind him and his legs were held to the two separate legs of the chair. The ropes were tight and it didn't take long for the feeling of them rubbing the flesh underneath them. A piece of silver duct tape covered his lips and his messy brown hair seemed to be stuck to his face. The sweat on his face seemed odd, foreign even, as he felt the bitter bile rise up his dry throat. There were no windows or any way for him to tell the time.

He froze as he tried to calm himself, the panic still filling him like a poison. There was nothing in the room- no furniture, no windows, no clock. His jacket lay on the other side of the room with what looked like a brown bag... The door was large and white, obviously made to keep people inside. At the bottom of the door was what looked like a cat flap yet Spencer knew it was used for food to be passed into the room (what was it called dammit?). The white floor, walls and ceiling seemed to glitter mockingly as he realised the Joker had gotten one of his largest fears and used it within whatever game they were playing. Everything about the room screamed that he was in a mental institution.

Reid swallowed as his eyes fell to the top right corner of the room; a single black shape caught his attention. As he stared at the camera he flinched. He could already tell that he wouldn't be leaving unless the Joker allowed him to but when had the Joker ever done anything so close to mercy?

The door opened soundlessly and a tall figure stepped into the room.

It was an immediate reaction for Reid's skinny frame to flinch at the sight of the terrifying man and he could not move his eyes from the twisted smile. The very smile which seemed to surround him and force him to press himself against the back of the chair like a scared child would to try to hide from its nightmares. His breathing only got quicker as the Joker shut the door behind himself, amusement glittering within his dark eyes.

"Good morning _beautiful_." The Joker kept on grinning as he walked over to where Reid had being tied, enjoying watching the young man struggle against the ropes to such a point his small wrists were close to bleeding. The Joker gently walked just beyond Reid's vision and stood behind him before sneaking his hands onto his shoulders.

As expected Reid tried to pull away, his eyes widening even further as a muffled sound reached the Joker's ears. The Joker laughed as he tightened his grip. He could feel the gentle trembling under his flesh and the sound of Reid's heavy breathing filled the silent rooms. The Joker knew the silence would not be present for much longer. Not that he minded- he had always loved the sound of screams. He preferred them to any music.

Reid's shaking increased as the Joker's hot breath danced around his ear and down the back of his neck like a malicious fey. Reid's eyes were wide and strangely enough the Joker found himself remembering the children's cartoon with the little deer– was it called Bambi? Whatever it was called, Reid's wide and glittering eyes reminded him of the small and fragile cartoon animal.

The duct tape was quickly ripped from Reid's lips and a small whimper left him before he could stop it. In a single moment the silence had been broken and Reid's head snapped away from where the Joker was.  
"Where am I?" His voice shook with a silent determination and he silently scolded himself as he tried to stop his voice from showing how scared he was. Men like the Joker thrived on the fear of others. Reid had seen enough of them to know.

The Jokers fingers tapped on Reid's shoulders before he interlaced his fingers with Reid's hair, pulling Reid's head back with a small sounded of his stiff bones clicking and a sharp intake of breath. The Joker kept his grip tight as he kept his voice gentle in Reid's ear. "Ask me what you really want to know." Like a cat with a mouse, the Joker watched Reid with every single bit of attention he could. Every little detail, every little shiver... The Joker's eyes seemed unblinking as he kept on watching.

Reid's mind seed to freeze as a bitter voice within him laughed. It always seemed to be him, didn't it? His father had been correct before he had left; even in his drunken rages Reid's father had been correct. He was a glutton for punishment, always doing things which would hurt him, catching the attention of the wrong people, trying to catch the attention of people who would never look twice... His father had been right about that much. He was always the one who put himself in the target space because he was Spencer Reid, the child who never knew when to run away.

The slim fingers kept tapping against Reid's upper torso and Reid's mind began to wander, telling him the one way for him to avoid what came next was to separate himself. The same way he had survived when he had still been a child being told to do what he was told. He told himself that his team (his _family_) would be there soon. They always saved him... Why would this time be different? They would already be searching for him- Morgan would have already for his flat in a mess and they would have started looking. The Joker might have slipped up and left them a clue... A silent laugh filled him as he realised how delusional he sounded. The Joker wouldn't slipup until he wanted to.

"Surely you must have _one_ question for me?" The finger kept tapping to the same rhythm.  
**Tap.** _Click. Click._ **Tap.** _Click. Click._ **Tap.** _Click. Cli_-  
"What time is it?" His voice was completely level and Reid felt his heart slowly return to a fairly normal speed. He could feel the false calm he was tricking his mind into wrap around him like bubble wrap. He needed to know if they were looking yet. He needed to know if they even knew he was gone yet.  
"Two AM." The Joker remained perfectly still and in a twisted way he reminded Reid of a stone gargoyle in the cemetery his uncle was buried in. His eyes were the only things which set them apart- at least the stone creature did not look at him as if he was some sort of dinner for a starving man.  
_Click._ **Tap.** _Click. Click._ **Tap.** _Click. Click._ **Tap.** _Click. Click._ **Tap.**  
"My turn!" The Joker's tone was light as he whispered the words into Reid's ear. "Why have I brought you here?" The sound of the Joker moving barely registered in Reid's mind as he tried to find an answer.  
_Click. Click._ **Tap.** _Click. Click._ **Tap.** _Click. Click._ **Tap.** _Click. Click._ **Tap.**

Why did the Joker bring him there? He didn't know. Why? His mind tried desperately to find the answer to his question but in a twist of fate his petrified mind could not find the answer. Why had the Joker chosen to take him to where he was? Was it because the Joker was certain his friends would never find him or for another reason? Did the Joker even have a reason? Reid knew from the Joker's files that he just did what he did because he felt like it- if the Joker wanted something he took it and it rarely made sense to anyone but himself. He did what he wanted because _he_ wanted. He was illogical and impulsive, yet he was clever and calculating... Reid bit his bottom lip as the man behind him pulled out the silver dagger which would soon be painted with the ruby red yet to present itself in the room. Of course, Reid didn't know that so his mind kept on rolling- desperately seeking for an answer he did not know.

"Do you give up?" The cold metal of the dagger was less than a millimetre from the back of Reid's neck and the Joker's left hand rested on Reid's shoulder. Reid's eyes remained focused forwards as he tried to predict what was to happen next. He gave a tiny nod and a large chunk of his hair fell onto his face as he desperately tried to calm his racing breathing. "Such a very shame." The Joker repositioned the dagger so it was resting on the front of Reid's swan like neck. "Very disappointing _beautiful_. The answer was so simple even one of your _friends_ could have guessed it." The sarcasm on the word 'friends' stung.  
"They..." Reid's lips parted for less than a second yet the word still slipped out. He felt the knife rest harder against the soft skin of his neck and his eyes shut. One movement and he was dead. One movement and it would all be over- he almost dared to hope it would actually be that simple.  
(Hoping does nothing, it will simply give you another push to the moment you realise it was all in vain.)

"They what?" The Joker licked his lips as his left hand moved into Reid's hair before yanking it back, causing Reid to let out a pained gasp. "They knew you were in danger and protected you? They cared enough to make sure you were _safe_ from the big, bad, Joker?" Reid had never wanted to punch someone more than he wanted to punch the man who held the glittering knife. "They... they what _beautiful_?" The smile returned on the mad man's lips. "They are the reason you are here with me. I brought you hear so nobody can hear you scream."

A cry filled the silence as the Joker's dagger was stabbed into Reid's leg.

"See? Simple?" The Joker pulled the knife out. "Another question- remember, one wrong answer you get punished. One correct, you get to ask me a question." He sounded like a small child, asking a stupid adult the simplest question possible. "Why didn't your _friends_- and I use the term lightly- make sure you were safe?" The dagger was slowly brought up to Reid's snowy cheek so the tip of the blade rested just to the side of the bridge of his still uninjured nose. The small sounds of pain kept leaving Reid's lips, uncontrollable like the whimpers of a puppy still needing to be beaten into submission.  
Reid froze as the feeling of the lukewarm (blood warm) blade filled him. He was the team's genius, he always had the answers... but those answers couldn't help him as the tip of the blade sunk a bit deeper.

"Too slow beautiful." The Joker didn't hesitate for a single second.

(Can you remember when you were still a child, and that moment after you fell and all you could see was the newly required wound on your knee- that moment the pain was yet to hit you? Even if you do not remember, I know you can see the image in your mind's eye. There is always the delay in the child's wide and innocent eyes as he or she simply looks at the damage done. After that comes the reaction. )

It took far more than a second for it to register- the burning pain searing through his face as the Joker ripped the knife down, cutting through Reid's skin like... what comparison is there? There is no easy metaphor for the sound of flesh being torn (ripped) open by the already red blade and there is no way to compress the stomach turning sound of how halfway through the cut the cry finally left the young man's lips. The sound rippled through the room like a rock would cause the sea on a calm day.

No metaphors do justice for the sound the Joker loved and a sound not too different from what butchers hear on a daily basis.

The sound of the very flesh splitting and the blood overflowing.

The blade was pulled back just as the long river of blood came to rest under his earlobe. The sound of Reid's cry echoed as the Joker smiled, wiping the wet metal on the opposite side of Reid's face. Tears were rolling free from his glittering eyes.

"Deep breaths, beautiful, or you'll end up passing out before any of the real fun begins." Hands were placed back on his shaking shoulders and the Joker slowly began rotating his thumbs to the shapes of circles. "It's not like your _friends_ are looking for you yet."

Reid's eyes flickered shut as the feeling of the warm blood overwhelmed him, bitter bile rising up his throat and entering his mouth. His heart seemed frozen within his chest and his body kept on shaking.

**Tap.** _Click. Click._ **Tap.** _Click. Click._ **Tap.** _Click. Click._ **Tap.**

"Stay awake _beautiful_- there's somebody here who I'd like you to meet." Reid's eyes opened to look at the Joker, the sadness, pain and fear within them causing the other man to secretly rejoice. He was breaking, the Joker knew that it was happening. "His name is Jonathan Crane, I believe you read about him and his... _work?_" Whatever the Joker said next was never heard by the young genius.

For the second time in his life, Reid fainted.

**...CM****...DK**

Morgan arrived at the flat with over an hour to spare. He hadn't been able to sleep, something which had not surprised him, but the feeling in the pit of his stomach was telling him something was wrong. After so long as a profiler he knew better than letting his mind ignore those feelings because they often solved cases. Hotch had taught him that and the few times he had ignored the feelings it always ended the same. Badly.

He did the same as he had for the past few days. He got the pizzas and coffee. He drove to Reid's apartment. He walked up the stairs. He did everything he usually did but as he reached the top of the stairs the feeling which had been lingering for the last few hours seemed to get stronger. He took a silent note of it before looking at the darkness above the stairs, frowning slightly as he remembered Reid making a comment of him liking the fact they were always on. It seemed odd for them to be off. Reid wouldn't have liked it if they were off when he got home.

It took less than six steps for Morgan to get to Reid's door, a small smile curving on his lips as he moved his fist to knock on the door. The routine was nice, even for someone like Morgan who had always found it hard to get used to routines, and Morgan found himself looking forwards to it when the case got too hard (which seemed every time he opened yet another file). His fist seemed frozen in the air as he considered a new fact which had only just registered- when they caught the Joker (and he knew somehow they _**would **_stop him) it would be over and he would spend his nights as alone as he had before the case. The more selfish part of him felt saddened at the concept.

The moment Morgan's fist grazed the door it opened soundlessly, the darkness inside covering what had happened hours earlier with a black blanket. The dry blood which stained the small pieces of glass and the carpet mocked him in the safety of what he could not see.

"Reid?" It didn't take a profiler to notice something was wrong as only silence replied to Morgan's worried voice. Reid never slept with all lights off- the young man had told Morgan on more than one occasion- but it was clear just by looking that there were no lights on within the flat. His fingers traced the wall till he found the switch yet as he pressed it seemed even his heart was ready for what he feared was to come.

No. He was nowhere near ready for what he saw as the lights flickered on.

The coffee and pizza hit the floor as Morgan seemed to fly to where he knew Reid's bedroom was, unsure if finding Reid would be better than not finding him. How was he to know that if he opened the door he wouldn't find a dead, mutilated body? You and I know that Reid was with the Joker, where he had been for many hours, yet he was not blessed with that knowledge. Instead he was left with his heart seemingly contained within his mouth.

The room was empty, the bed made and untouched. Everything was where it belonged.  
(Take a closer look.)  
It took a second for even Morgan's well trained eyes to focus on the small piece of paper laying on the white pillow, its white corners soaked in the same shade of ruby which tainted the floor.

When Morgan turned the glittering piece of paper over with his fingers it seemed his world crashed down around him in glorious flames of orange and blood red as the piece of paper in his fingers fluttered to the ground like a butterfly with torn wings. As it soundlessly reached the floor Morgan couldn't do anything but stare at the perfectly drawn image of a small Joker holding a heart in his hands, the drawn blood blending with the real blood with a twirl of a sickly red.

_Click. Click._ **Tap.** _Click. Click._ **Tap.** _Click. Click._** Tap.**

His fingers were shaking as he reached into his pocket, quickly pulling his phone out to press the second number on his speed dial. It only rang three times before the gruff voice reached his ears.

"_Hotch."_  
"Hotch, its Morgan... I'm at Reid's... he... he's gone... the Joker got him..."

Neither of them realised how close yet how far they were to finding the young genius . Neither of them could see the young man fighting off people far stronger than him as they held him under the cold surface of the water which was slowly turning red from his seeping wounds.

Neither of them heard his heart's desperate attempts to beat as both his mind and heart silently cried for somebody to help him. His soul, unlike his heart and mind, was busy whispering only one name as everything faded. But nobody heard how he silently begged for Morgan to find him. They never would.

Strangely enough, deep down he knew Morgan was not going to be the one who would find him. Reid's life hung in the balance with the choices both he and others would make over the next few hours.

**...CM****...DK**

It was ten AM when the news reached Bruce's ears. At the time he had been on his way to meet Rossi for a small catch-up but the moment his phone rang he had known something very bad had happened. It may not have been a surprise when Rossi told him what happened yet to say it was not painful to hear.

It is sad to say his first thought was not one of concern for Reid, his Godfather or any member of the team, instead his first thought was one noting that the Joker had already started to ruin five more lives. After spending so long with the Joker Bruce could not imagine Reid coming out of it okay- rather he could not imagine Reid coming out of it being anything like himself. How could he? The Joker was clever and Reid was young (naive), desperate to see the good in people.

Reid was the exact opposite of the Joker, he was the calm to the storm and he was the water to the fire. The storm always replaces the calm no matter for how long- the fire when at its full blast can evaporate even the purest water. Reid was the ice and The Joker was the fire. Bruce knew that their meeting would be when the storm began and as he heard Rossi's words he knew it was inevitable. All opposites must meet at one point or another and all opposites react.

Reid and the Joker were polar opposites. The moment they were allowed to fully blend with one another with absolutely no control from the outside world the reaction would be at its full and everything would change.

As the phone was placed back into Bruce's pocket his hands did not shake like most of ours would. His face was still and his pulse steady yet his mind was slowly taking everything in. He had only met the young genius once and he had seemed nice- it didn't take Batman to see the purity and gentleness which had glittered within the hazel eyes yet there had been an uneasiness there which seemed to belong to someone who was far older and had seen more terrors. Not the young man he seemed to be.

Reid seemed so young- Bruce frowned as he tried to work out why the Joker would want him. Was it just to break him? How did Reid suddenly become the Joker's new obsession? Bruce knew what it was like to be the centre of the Joker's focus but even then he had been slightly protected by the fact the Joker had been after the Batman rather than who he really was. If the Joker had been after him like he had obviously been after Reid he wasn't sure even he could have coped.

Rossi had sounded exhausted on the phone, speaking with the same tone he had on the phone when he had told his parents he wouldn't be able to make it to the theatre and it broke Bruce's heart. It had been clear even in the first few seconds of meeting the team that they were all protective of their youngest member.

How old was he anyway? Bruce knew he was under thirty- he had to be twenty eight at the very _most_. He seemed to be too young to be in the FBI so Bruce had to guess he was probably above average intelligence. Bruce couldn't imagine being a genius when growing up could have been easy...

With yet another sigh Bruce pulled his phone to be level with his eyes and in a swift movement found himself going against what his instinct was _screaming_ at him and calling Alfred. He took a deep breath as he awaited an answer. Surely it was just in his nature to be curious about the Joker's latest victim.

Knowing more about the kid (no _dammit_! Thinking about him as a child would make it harder to not get involved...) would _not_ change his mind about not going to be Batman again. He was never going back... He had promised Rachel.

One young man was not going to change that.  
No matter how sick he felt at the idea of not helping.

He had a promise to keep.

**...CM****...DK**

It was night time by the time Reid awoke for the fifth (or was it sixth?) time. His body had so many cuts on it he was fairly sure he was going to be nicknamed 'The Mummy' by Morgan if ever got to a Hospital.

_If._

In all honesty the young genius could not see himself making if out of this situation alive. He was the member of the team who was best at cracking codes, finding the hidden knowledge not struggling his way out of the tight ropes which held him down. He wasn't one of the strong members. He had never been a fighter.

Of all the members of the team he knew he was the weakest because as his eyes travelled to the white material one the Joker's little helpers had tied around his leg he knew the others would never have fainted as easily as he has.

"Do you know the answer yet?" Reid didn't look up from the single blotch of red on the perfectly white material. "Come on beautiful. Why did I choose you?" The fact the Joker wasn't holding a knife should have reassured Reid but as he saw the dark glistening in the Joker's eyes he knew something even worse than the physical torture was coming next.

His throat was dry as he watched the Joker move so he was sitting on the floor opposite of him, eyes watching him as if he were a piece of meat. "B-be-bec-ause I..." Was it the right answer? He wasn't sure he had the energy to find another answer. "Because I'm the w-weakest member of the team?" Hazel eyes flickered back to his shoes and he awaited the Joker's reply.

In films, torture is made to appear easy for the victim to suffer through but trust me when I say that it is not the case. Torture truly is torture- there are no other words which can cover those moments the pain pounds through your body so badly you are praying to any omniscient being there is to just _die_ so it ends. Torture is that moment even your scream run silent because it _hurts_ too much to breathe never mind scream.

Torture is the sound of your left hand _crunching_ like a bag of crisps being stamped on but you cannot feel it because it's just more pain to add to the agony already suffocating you from within. Torture is the second you see your reflection in your personal river of blood and you have to shut your eyes to shield your brain from seeing such a sight.

Torture, is that moment your sanity is slowly cracking like a mirror, the cracks slowly spreading and the pieces weakening with their grips.

Torture is that moment you know nobody will find you but it hurts too much to care.

The Joker smiled, the scars curving wickedly as he knelt next to Reid, never looking away. "Is that your final answer Spencer?" Reid flinched at the sound of his own name, hating how the Joker gently rolled the 'r' and how it sounded so _wrong._ It was '**Reid**' who had become the FBI agent. '**Reid**' who had survived mild torture before. Spencer was the little boy who had left after being tied naked by his fellow students. Only his mother called him Spencer. Only his mother rested her hand on his face so gently it made want to weep.

It was only meant to be his mother but as the knife rested on the wounded side of his face with the same gentleness Reid knew that he would never truly be able to be touched in any way again. The events in his childhood had already leaved him marked with dislike of any contact but this... This was a completely new standard of hatred Reid had felt for human contact.

He had never hated anyone more than the Joker because he was just getting over the traumas that had kept him trapped like a canary in a golden cage. He was finally becoming more than his intellect and he had finally met people who cared about him because they saw him as a good _person_ not a 100% accurate Wikipedia. They cared about him and they _had_ to be looking for him.

Morgan must have found the apartment by then, surely.  
God, Reid hoped to whatever storybook Deity there was that Morgan had found the apartment and had informed the others.

**Tap.** _Click. Click._ **Tap.** _Click. Click._ **Tap.** _Click. Click._

"Y-ye-yes-s." Reid shut his eyes, desperately trying to control his breathing knowing that the speed his heart was going at was anything but healthy. He tried to not notice how the bandage around his wounded leg was _under_ his bloody and broken trousers. He tried not to notice how the wound on his face was so painful just speaking caused a small sound to be formed at the back of his throat. There was no doubt that the wound was going to become a scar no matter if it got infected or not.

The worst thing was that Reid didn't have to see it to know the scar was going to look like one of the ones the Joker had. They both knew that was the true reason the Joker had chosen to scar him in such a way. It didn't take a genius to know the truth.

"You're only half right." The Joker moved the knife a safe distance from Reid's shaking body. "I'd be lying if I said that wasn't true and I just _don't_ lie. There are no need for lies, are there?" He gave no time for a response. He didn't even seem interested as he moved his left hand to trace the wound on Reid's face, his eyes darkening and the manic glint to only get worse. "I guess I need to ask a better question." Reid bit back a cry as the Joker's fingers pressed down onto the all too tender flesh.

"Don't bother not crying out. It does no good." The Joker's voice had become almost raw as he whispered the words out, barely loud enough for Reid to hear them as he continued to caress the wound with the tenderness a lover might touch their sleeping partner. "Everyone screams sooner or later. It's our basic instinct, like all animals have." His thumb rested on the mark where the wound had formed from, directly next to Reid's perfect lips.

"So. Last question." He remained as still as a shadow in the night as he simply put a little more pressure on his thumb. "Why did I give you this scar?"

The room was so silent the echo of Reid's heart could almost certainly be heard echoed between the stale walls. The Joker moved another of his fingers onto the young profiler's face.

**Tap.** _Click. Click._ **Tap.** _Click. Click._ **Tap.** _Click. Click._

There was no need for Reid to answer. They both knew what the answer the Joker wanted was. "Good boy Spencer." The words weren't condescending as the Joker kept his eyes on the wound, seemingly not even blinking.

They were polar opposites, two different to not have any similarities. They had both had found their passions from the cruelty of others. Reid found his longing to help others as he held his weeping mother in his arms and told her nobody was going to hurt her and that his dad wasn't coming back (that was the first time he didn't break that promise). The Joker found his as his young hands wrapped around a rock before smashing it into his own brother's face.

Both of them had made their choices after being influenced by the bad and being starved of the good. Reid had chosen to seek and help the good while The Joker had chosen to stop the good. They were complete opposites yet they were also both of the options of what they could have been. Their futures, at those points, were only just beginning to be set in stone.

"You know why." Of course he did. The simplicity of the answer was almost too obvious.

The Joker had given Reid the scar so that he would never be able to look in a mirror again without knowing that the man who had broken him (because the Joker knew he would break the genius no matter what card trick it took) had left a mark for the world to see. A mark far deeper than flesh and bone would allow a knife to go.

But, the meaning also gave Reid a sick feeling of hope because it meant the Joker wasn't planning to kill him... yet. He wasn't sure if he should be grateful for that knowledge or not.

If he had known what was coming next, the answer would have been granted in a second.  
If he had known what his future held, he would have asked the Joker to kill him there and then. But he didn't have that knowledge because no man or woman should know of how soon or bodies will be no more than ash in the dirt.

**...CM****...DK**

The torture continued until the Joker left the room and was replaced by two other men men.

These were the very men who were to grab Reid from the white room were formed in such a way Reid was convinced they had to be on very strong steroids or were wrestlers. The latter seemed unlikely from the clumsiness they moved with.

If he hadn't been in such agony he could have easily run from them yet even the slightest movement onto his injured leg caused him to nearly black out and his head to spin like a broken merry-go-round. His face was too painful to move and the other wounds on his body stung like a bee's sting on ice cold skin. They had practically had to carry him out the building after the Joker had wrapped a soft, black velvet piece of material over his eyes so that he could not see where they were going.

He had been past the point his brain was awake enough to even truly register the moment one of the two men grunted and simply lifted him like a ragdoll so they could walk faster. Reid no longer had the energy to do anything but twitch. If his mind had been working then he could have worried about how his body had passed the point of feeling pain.

The feeling of being placed back on the ground came all too soon and the smell of smoke which covered the Joker like a cheap cologne returned. The Joker quickly pulled the material off Reid's eyes before continuing to speak to one of the other men, leaving Reid struggling to balance in an unknown man's grip.

Yet another method of torture, Spencer noted to himself as his eyes sleepily flickered to the vast surroundings and how easily someone in a fit state could have escaped. It was an easy way from the Joker's behalf to show him how weak he was. He couldn't even get away when the opportunity was right in front of him.

If it were Morgan, Hotch or Rossi in that situation they would have been strong enough to get away. JJ and Prentiss would have already gotten away. Any one of the team would have gotten away by that point. He knew that.

But he wasn't like them. He was a gluten for punishment, the little boy who never knew when to run or when to hide in the shadows. He wasn't the Joker, the little boy who had hidden in the shadows so much they were no longer different.

He was the weakest member of the team. He was the brain, _not_ the courage or the strength.  
He was weak.

His hazel eyes flickered to the car next to him and he caught a glimpse of his reflection before flinching and looking away. The cut on his face needed treatment desperately and the other wounds on his face all seemed to blend together mark each incorrect answer he had given.

Even as a genius, he didn't know everything.

When the cut became a scar it was going to be just as horrific as one of the ones depicted on the Joker's face. Reid couldn't cope with looking in the reflection because his eyes were already looking hollow, his brain distancing itself from the pain to preserve itself. With the Joker each action was unpredictable because with each second the Joker re-invented himself.

Each little action was a surprise because even the Joker didn't know what he was going to do next. Unlike with Reid, who always needed to know what came next.

The Joker whose hatred came from his bipolar parents.  
Reid whose innocence came from his schizophrenic mother and his violent father.

"You look thoughtful, beautiful." The man the Joker had been talking got into the driver's seat and the Joker turned to look at Reid. Reid's eyes remained on the ground, ignoring the Joker pulling a gun from one of his little helpers. There was a pause where the Joker simply observed him.

"Are you scared yet, beautiful?"  
Reid almost chocked at the question, yet he managed to force himself to make eye contact with the man who had been torturing him for hours on end. "No." He wasn't truly scared. He felt like on animal, on edge when knowing a predator was so close and he was barely running on the adrenaline of the pain. He wasn't scared (yet) because for all he knew his friends were safe. The Joker was with him so he knew what damage the man was creating.

The Hurricane was in his butterfly net and no matter how much it damaged him- it was his only liable option. He would choose the agony any day to protect those he loved.

"I actually believe you," The Joker let of a tiny, bitter laugh as he shook his head. "I believe it is your turn to ask a question." Reid said nothing, his eyes resting on the gun, an odd sense of calmness filling him like both a drug and a poison causing his eyelids to feel almost too heavy to remain open.

"No?" The Joker tilted his ever so slightly. "Aren't you going to ask if I'm going to kill you?" Reid's teeth sunk into his already split bottom lip. "The answer is no. I'm not going to kill you- tonight or at any other time. I'll never kill you beautiful." A sly smile formed on his lips. "There's never going to be any need."

Before Reid could ask what the Joker meant, the world went to Hell and he was standing between two of the most powerful men in the history still being written. The Joker, who stool with the gun pressed onto Reid's forehead and Batman who stood with what looked like a bat—shaped spanner.

The Joker clicked the safety off his gun and the man who had been holding Reid shoved the genius into the Joker's arms before he twisted in such a way the gun was against the side of his red neck and his eyes were wide as they stared at the tall man whose eyes were staring at him with such pain and guilt Reid barely considered why they looked so familiar.

"Took you long enough." The Joker was grinning as he took a deep breath of Reid's hair. The smell of blood and sweat was laced with faint mint. It was like a drug and the Joker was already addicted.  
"It was a long drive." Batman's voice was deep and each word was grunted out.

The laugh that left the Joker's lips was far more sickening than the laugh he had let out whenever Reid had said something that had amused him.

"I have a _very_ important meeting soon so we'll have to make this quick." His grip around Reid's neck tightened and the pressure on the forming bruises caused pain to flash over Reid's red face. The Batman seemed to take a small breath of air in as his grip around his own weapon tightened. "You want to catch me, right?"  
"Yes."  
"But you also want Spencer here back home in one piece?" Batman nodded. "Well then. I'm going to give you the chance to do both." A grin pulled the sides of his scars until his sharp teeth could be seen as his tongue darted out to dampen his lips. "You're going to _catch_ and get Spence back in _moderately_ good health."

A pause lingered in the air as the Joker tensed all of his muscles.

"So, _catch_." Reid didn't even get to blink before he was shoved with all of the Joker's strength into Batman's metal-painted body.

There were so many instantaneous bursts of pain that Reid barely registered what happened from the moment the Joker pushed and his weak body fell into Batman. He barely felt anything but the agony as the car drove off and Batman fell to the ground with him, his eyes wide at something he couldn't see.

It took a second for the full impact of the pain to hit Reid and as it did the coppery taste was filling Reid's mouth and throat as his head spin causing his body to shake and bile to join the blood in the back of his throat as his eyes began to flicker upwards.

It took five seconds for him to have enough control to look at where Batman was staring with eyes full of more terror than Reid had seen in a very long time. The red on Batman's hands was fresh and the black bat lay on the suddenly red ground. It took another second for Reid to realise that the pain wasn't coming from his reopened wound on his leg but the new damage on his suddenly burning side.

His eyes flickered back to Batman who was saying something, yet his words were muffled, not audible to Reid's barely conscious mind.

Reid took a tiny breath of air and forced his burning mouth to form a singular word before the darkness took him again.

"_**Bruce**_..."

Reid was taken by the shadows before he could see the shock passing over the half-covered face of the man who was struggling to work out how to put pressure on all of the bleeding wounds and knowing he couldn't call anyone.

Of course Reid didn't see it because there is only so much pain a human can take and all the pain from the past hours hit him with all the force of one of the Joker's games. And the only sound that filled the air was the steady dripping of his blood.

The familiar dreams of fire were already there to greet Reid in the shadows of his cracking mind.

**Tap.** _Click. Click._ **Tap.** _Click. Click_. **Tap.** _Click. Click_. **Tap.**

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"_He can't endure this."_

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"_Cruelty and fear shake hands together."  
_Honore de Bazaco

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So? Good or Bad? Please, please review but NO flames. I can't deal with flames right now. I hope it was worth(ish) reading and that **filmgurl2006** isn't regretting letting me write this. We are now officially ONE THIRD through this story! Next chapter will be a parallel to this chapter with the team trying to find Reid... And Reid waking up somewhere which is most certainly not a hospital.

Thank you all for reading! x

**Love,  
J.**


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